Changing the Story: Book One
by ClaireWalters
Summary: What if you were somehow transported into the Harry Potter universe? What if you had to live the books, without changing anything? I, Lily Moon as I am called here in the HP world, am going through just that. And trust me, its kind of hard to pretend you never existed when the Golden Trio and a certain Slytherin are constantly looking over your shoulders...
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and do not belong to me. They are the property of JK Rowling. I merely read the books, and play on the site.**_

**A/N: Well, here's a new story for you all! Hope you like it, 'cause I certainly do! Enjoy!**

**Chapter One: Going to Diagon Alley**

I woke up with a gasp, my eyes taking in the patterns of light thrown against my ceiling. Sighing into the warm air around me, I turned my head to the left, looking at the clock. 1:37 AM.

"That's way too early to be awake," I grumbled, turning back around to bury my face in my pillow. My clock ticked on quietly in the darkness. Huffing in annoyance, I sat up, looking around the room in hopes of finding a reason why I was awake. The traffic was pretty quiet, so it couldn't be that. I finally decided that it must be because it was too bright. The street lamps shone through the half-closed shutters, causing everything to have a strange, lined design.

"Maybe I should close them better," I muttered, yawning as I flopped back down, pulling my covers over my head. I opened my eyes again a moment later, thanks to an annoying ringing in my ears, which just wouldn't let off. Turning around with a huff, I stared out at my near empty bedroom, sticking a foot and an arm out of my covers. While silently holding a strike against myself, I noticed a strange, eerie light coming from my bookshelf. Staring at the shelf for a bit, I realized that it was in fact a _book_ that was _glowing._ For several minutes, I simply stared at it, wondering if maybe I was still asleep. I decided to test it out, and rolled out of bed.

"Nope, I'm _definitely _awake," I groaned, getting up. Tiptoeing over, I narrowed my eyes, trying to get a better view of what was going on.

"Oh, the irony," I sighed, smiling despite the strange situation. _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_, a book about magic suddenly turning magical. "I think I need to get a better hobby," Slipping the book out of the shelf, I stared at it. The light had grown stronger, making me wince slightly. Deciding that I had nothing to lose I flipped the cover open, and the light disappeared. Feeling incredibly disappointed I flipped through the book, hoping to make it start glowing again. Nothing happened. The book lay dead in my hands. Just as I started to close it again, the light started up again; so suddenly, and so brightly that I dropped in it shock. Beams of light shot out from the pages, causing me to close my eyes to avoid being blinded. My head began spinning, and bile rose in my throat. My knees gave way, and I briefly noticed the floor spinning towards me as I sank into darkness.

* * *

The next time I became aware of anything, it was because someone was knocked on my door. For a while I lay there, staring at the insides of my eyelids, wondering why someone was even knocking. Usually, my parents didn't bother waking me up, letting me wake up on my own. I turned to my side, mumbling something incoherently while I hugged my pillow tighter. That was when I first noticed something odd… my pillow felt different. As a slight clarification, I've been sleeping on the same pillow for the past fifteen years, so really, not that weird of a thing to notice. Flipping onto my back, I opened my eyes. A _really_ ugly lamp was the first thing I saw. This added to my confusion, because I _didn't _have an ugly lamp above my bed. In fact, I'd never seen this lamp in my entire life.

"Lily! Lily, wake up! Mum says you have to get ready!" An unfamiliar male voice called through a door I didn't even know had existed.

"Ok," I answered, startled by the strange voice coming out of my mouth. It had been my mouth that had moved, but it wasn't my voice that had come out. This voice had an English accent, while I spoke in a very American way. The door clicked open, and an unfamiliar boy, who looked about my age, with black hair and blue eyes looked in, grinning mischievously. He had a very pointed face, reminding me of a hamster.

"I don't see you getting up," the boy teased me. I stared at him for a bit, wondering why the hell he was in my house. Instead of saying anything, I awkwardly got up.

"I'm up," I mumbled, feeling awkward. He walked in the room, and ruffled my hair. I ducked away, not wanting to be touched by some stranger.

"Tell mum I'll be there in a second?" I suggested, before fleeing out through the nearest door, and shutting it behind me. The room was quite dark. The boy opened the door I'd jumped through, and easily lifted me up, dumping me onto the floor.

"Why're you running into your closet?" He asked, genuinely curious. I felt my face burn, and I quickly looked away.

"I thought I was the bathroom?" I lied, stating the sentence more like a question. The boy laughed, leaning forward and ruffling my hair again. What was up with this dude?

"Silly, the bathroom is down the hall. Now get up and take a shower, the lady will be around in about an hour," He said, pulling me up, and shooing me down the hall. Reluctantly, I went into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. Turning around, I took a look at my reflection. My first reaction was to scream.

* * *

Half an hour later, I found myself sitting down at the breakfast table, trying not to hyperventilate. My mind was spinning with a thousand questions, but I squashed them away, staring at the cereal in front of me. After the initial shock of seeing my reflection, and repeatedly lying to the poor boy from before, who had rushed in when I'd screamed by saying I had seen a spider, I had finally taken some time to actually _look_ at myself. I looked a lot younger than I remembered, with still a little bit of baby fat on my cheeks. My brown hair, which I had just recently cut into a cute bob, was long, black, and incredibly curly. As for my eyes… they were now blue. The kind of blue that you would think was dark grey, but it's actually blue. At least the rest of me still seemed the same… other than the random de-aging.

"Ready for today, kiddo?" The father of the family asked, ruffling my hair. I looked up, still dazed, and nodded.

"I guess," I muttered, picking up my spoon, and eating something. The woman, who I assumed was this 'mum' the boy had talked about earlier, laughed.

"Of course she's ready! She's been anxious about this all week!" She smiled warmly at me, and I felt a lump develop in my throat. As nice as these people were, at the moment I wanted my mommy. "Don't worry sweetie, you'll be fine," She said, trying to be reassuring. I smiled at her, deciding that, even if I didn't know them, I might as well play along.

"You got your letter still? The shopping list was in there," The boy said through a mouthful of toast. I blinked at him stupidly.

"My letter?" I asked, sounding as silly as I felt. The boy smiled nervously. I could tell that I was starting to freak him out. An awkward silence fell on the table, and I quickly stuffed another spoonful of cereal in my mouth.

"Your letter to Hogwarts?" The boy said slowly, motioning with his hands, as if trying to get me to catch on to something. I choked on my cereal.

"Excuse me?" I squeaked, after I'd cleared my throat. Did he just say _Hogwarts?_ The boy looked at me as if I'd gone mental. Suddenly, a theory popped up in my head. I'd read enough fanfiction to know where this was going… Sliding out of the chair, I got up, searching through the kitchen aimlessly. I spotted a calendar on the fridge, and stepped up to it, checking the date. Oh… oh no… A horrible realization dawned on me, as I remembered the glowing book. It made perfect sense, but… oh damn…

"I got stuck in the book?" I breathed out, unconsciously touching the date on the calendar. Behind me, the boy turned to his mother, his face absolutely serious.

"Mum, I think Lily's gone mad," He said. His mother could only smile weakly in return.

* * *

I was sitting in the living room, staring at the pictures standing on the fireplace. The person in whose body I was in now was in many of them, as a baby with her toddler older brother, standing with her family on Machu Picchu… Memories that I was supposed to know but didn't even know they had occurred. I was especially annoyed by the fact that she'd been to Machu Picchu. I'd always wanted to go there… The doorbell rang, and the woman who was now my mother dashed to the door, opening it.

"Good morning. Thank you so much for coming! Lily's been looking forward to this day for days!" She gushed politely. I hadn't even known that was possible.

"That's good. It's always good when they are excited," A new strange voice said. I got up, taking a deep breath. I was here now, so I had decided that I might as well make the best of it. Walking over to the door, I pulled myself out of my apathetic brooding, and smiled. There, dressed in relatively normal muggle clothing, stood the first witch I'd ever seen.

"Hello! I'm Lily Moon," I said quietly, holding out a hand. I'd found a diary earlier in a disastrous scavenger hunt through my new room, and had discovered several facts about myself. I was eleven years old, born July 24, 1980. I had a fifteen-year-old brother named Thomas, and a cat named Jingle, who had died last year. Also, today I was supposed to get my supplies at Diagon Alley.

"Hello Miss Moon, I'm Professor Burbage! I teach Muggle Studies at Hogwarts," The kindly lady said, smiling at me. I suddenly felt a pang of sadness, as I realized that it was this woman who had been killed by Voldemort in the last book.

"Are we going to go soon?" I asked, a sudden curiosity bubbling up inside me. Despite my rather strange situation, I still found myself anxious to see Diagon Alley. Once a fangirl, always a fangirl I suppose. Professor Burbage grinned, nodding. She turned to my parents.

"Are you going to come too?" She asked. The two adults shook their head, smiling.

"Lily said she wanted to do this alone," My 'father' explained. Professor Burbage nodded, understanding.

"Your first step into the Wizarding World! Completely understandable! Well, in that case, I'll take you along with side-along apparition," She exclaimed. My breath caught in my throat. Apparition. Something I personally had been dreading, ever since the squeezing feeling described in the sixth book. I was highly claustrophobic. Nodding none-the-less, I took the hand offered by the Muggle Studies Professor. She pulled out her wand, and I had only moments to be fascinated by it, before the world began spinning. It felt horrible, as if my organs were going to explode. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't even breathe. Just as I was sure I was going to die, if I didn't somehow manage to panic myself into unconsciousness first, the pressure suddenly eased, and I could breathe again. I felt queasy, wanting to throw up, but I forced it back down. Professor Burbage chuckled.

"Maybe we should get something to drink before we continue on," She said, having seen the unhealthy yellowness spreading on my face, and she led me into the Leaky Cauldron. Inside, it was a ruckus. People gossiping everywhere, laughing at random jokes. Professor Burbage shuffled me forward, and knocked on the bar table.

"A soda please, for my young ward. First time Side-along-Apparition," She explained. Tom the barman grinned, and handed me the soda. I sat down slowly, and nodded in thanks.

"So, Miss Moon," Professor Burbage began. I looked up, sipping at the incredibly bubbly drink.

"Please, call me Lily," I interrupted her, putting down my cup. Her grin widened.

"All right, _Lily_, did you bring your list with you?" She asked. I nodded, pulling out the already wrinkling piece of parchment from the small purse I had brought with me. I reread the letter through once, and looked back up at Professor Burbage.

"Professor, do I really need to get an owl, or a cat?" I asked softly. Professor Burbage shrugged.

"Not necessarily. Many students prefer to, especially since owls are very handy when it comes to mailing, however it isn't a requirement. Some students wait a few years, other don't even get one at all," She explained. I nodded, looking back at my list. Finishing off my drink, I thanked Tom for the drink, while Professor Burbage placed a few coins on the bar top.

"The first thing we'll do is getting you some money. Afterwards, we'll go see what you want to go get first," She suggested. I nodded once again, unconsciously scooting closer to her. Professor Burbage smiled, casually pulling out her wand and tapping it against the brick wall. I watched, my mouth dropping open, as the bricks magically moved aside to form a perfect arc. The process was so fascinating, and I was still busy trying to figure out how the bricks all fit, that I didn't even register the bustling street beyond it until Professor Burbage tapped me on the shoulder. I jumped a little, looking at her in surprise. She was grinning.

"Shall we go, then?" She suggested, making a dramatic sweep with her arm. I felt my face heat up in embarrassment, and nodded, stepping out onto Diagon Alley. It was magical… literally. Colourful shops lined the cobbled, narrow street, with bursts of colour sparking from the random window. Cauldrons piled up in front of Potage's Cauldron Shop, and there was a mass of noise from Eeylop's Owl Emporium and Magical Menagerie.

"It's amazing!" I exclaimed, turning around once. Professor Burbage laughed, grabbing my shoulder, and manoeuvring me over to the large marble building down at the end of the street. I didn't remember when, but at some point, a large smile had made its way across my face. Professor Burbage straightened up, and I quickly composed myself as we walked up to one of the counters. I shrank back a little as the goblin leaned over to stare down at me.

"I'd like to set up an account for Lily Moon," Professor Burbage said calmly. I quickly pulled myself together, mentally reminding myself that I was fifteen, and should act like it, even if my body was that of an eleven year old. The goblin narrowed its eyes at me me, before nodding.

"The usual student loan?" The goblin drawled. Professor Burbage nodded curtly, and I blinked, trying my best to hide the childish curiosity that was crawling around inside me. It wouldn't do to tug on a Professor's cloak, asking what the goblin meant. I wasn't five after all. The Goblin pulled out some papers and a quill, handing them to us.

"Now, Lily. At the beginning of their first year, muggleborn students get a five hundred-galleon loan from Hogwarts, which we don't expect you to repay until you make your own money. This is just to start you off, and should last you for quite a while, if not possibly all seven years. To add to your vault later, you have to convert muggle money to Wizarding money. I'll spare you that headache for now, and let you deal with that when its time," She explained as we began filling out the paperwork. I nodded, understanding. It did make sense. We handed to papers to the goblin, and patiently waited as he called one of his colleges. Roughly forty-five minutes after I had entered the marble halls, I walked out, a little leather pouch filled with coins in my hand, along with an envelope, which contained my bank details and my vault key. I put them away in my bag, taking a nervous breath.

"Anyways," Professor Burbage continued as we walked out of the bank. "There are seventeen Silver Sickles in a Galleon, and twenty-nine Knuts in a Sickle," She explained. I nodded, having known this already in theory. However, it was a little overwhelming in reality.

"You'll get the hang of it eventually," Professor Burbage said, having noticed the baffled expression on my face. We headed off to complete my shopping list, going to the Apothecary first as per my request. I spent ages staring at the ugly, slug like things floating in the jars, and took my time sifting the beaker in and out of the beetle eyes. I couldn't help but giggle at the morbid squishy sound they emitted. The shop smelled fascinating, a mixture of herbs and frog dissection. I couldn't decide whether I liked it or not.

"All right Lily, time to go," Professor Burbage said, sounding nauseous. She had eventually gotten me to get enough of each supply of ingredients to last me the year, and hastily veered me out of the shop. Apparently, she didn't find playing 'chase the finger' with the horned slugs half as amusing as I did.

* * *

The bags I was carrying grew alongside my excitement. Professor Burbage smiled as I twirled around in my new school robes in Madam Malkins' shop, a face-splitting grin stretching my cheeks. I never wanted to take then off, however, I had to, since we had a few more stops to go.

"Let's go get your wand," Professor Burbage suggested as we left Eeylop's Owl Emporium and Magical Menagerie, my new pet owl safely snoozing in a cage in my hands. I nodded, the nervous feeling from before returning. Mr Ollivander's shop was down the east end of Diagon Alley, near Knockturn Alley. It was a bit darker, and just a bit scarier down here.

"Welcome, Ms Moon," The eerie voice whispered, as I walked in. I swallowed a little, wondering how the hell he'd known my name. Mr Ollivander shuffled through the dusty shelves, while the magical measuring tape took to recording everything about me. I looked up as it measured my height, noting that I was only 145 cm tall. Pity. The magic hung heavy in the air, sending my spine to tingle violently. The hairs on my arms began rising, almost as if they'd been electrified. Professor Burbage watched by reaction with amusement. Finally, Ollivander came back, and the measuring tape rolled up on the desk.

"Here, try this one," He said. "Eleven inches, Sycamore with dragon heartstring, Flexible," I looked at the wand, and immediately knew that this wasn't the right one. I had a hunch as to what it would be, thinking back to my wand selection on . Still, I decided to humour Mr Ollivander and picked up the wand. As I suspected, he ripped it out of my hands just as I touched it.

"No-no, this one won't do," He said, turning back. I bit back a smile, remembering Harry's comment from the first book, on how Mr Ollivander seemed to get happier the more difficult the customer was.

"Try this one! 10 inch, Redwood with Phoenix feather, very supple," Mentally rolling my eyes, I let Mr Ollivander do his job, and picked up wand after wand. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of picking up wands and getting them ripped out of my hands, Mr Ollivander, with a bright smile on his face, presented me with _my_ wand. The exact wand I had on Pottermore.

"10 ¾ inches, Hornbeam and Phoenix feather, surprisingly swishy," He said. I felt a thrill go through me, and I not so casually snatched the wand straight out of Mr Ollivander's hands. He seemed surprised at my reaction, his mouth dropping a little. A warm sensation ran up my arm, causing my whole body to tingle underneath by skin. A cackle escaped my lips, and I lifted the wand into the air.

"At last! My vengeance shall be complete!" I exclaimed, ignoring the fact that both Professor Burbage and Mr Ollivander were looking at me oddly. I believe that my wand was feeling just as amused as I was, because a shower of golden sparks shot out from the end, almost like embers from a fire. The feeling of wanting to cuddle it went through me, however I composed myself again.

"Thank you," I said, paying Mr Ollivander the proper amount. I placed the wand back in its box, stowing it safely in my bag. He smiled at me, bowing his head a little.

"All right Lily," Professor Burbage exclaimed. "Let's get you home!"

* * *

That evening, I lay in Lily's bed wide-awake. Over in the corner my tiny, little screech owl hooting on my – Lily's desk. I'd named her Persephone. I smiled at the sound, closing my eyes.

"Only one more month," I whispered excitedly. I had a month to prepare myself for the most exciting experience on my life. On the bedside table, Lily Moon's Hogwarts letter stood, placed in an appropriately sized frame. A sudden jolt shot through me. What if I went right back to my world when I fell asleep? What if I _was_ asleep, and this was all some magnificent dream? What where my parents thinking right now?

"Oh no," I moaned, covering my face with my eleven-year-old hands. There was a slight pop in the air above me, and I looked through my fingers, staring at the envelope fluttering down on my stomach. I sat up, unprofessionally tearing it open, and pulling out the parchment.

_Dear Lily,_

_Don't panic._

_If you're reading this letter, I assume that you've gone to Diagon Alley, and received you school supplies, Persephone, and your wand. If this is the case, congratulations!_

_Now, more importantly, I want to clarify a few things:_

_Firstly: You have been transported into the books for reasons I shall withhold. _

_Secondly: Your time spent in the novel's timeline will not interfere with your real life. Once you have finished the book, you will be able to return to the exact moment you have left. Do NOT assume that you'll be able to do magic once you've returned. (Not that you'll have a wand to preform magic with anyway.)_

_Thirdly: Do NOT interfere with the story's events. Any change in the time-line will be harmful to your future. The story MUST follow its given events, understood?_

_Fourthly: Don't tell everyone what your true identity is. Not only would it confuse people, but it also would change the story quite a bit. So, don't do that._

_Other than this, please enjoy your stay in the Harry Potter universe!_

_Kind regards,_

_Y._

For several minutes I just stared at the letter. Did this mean that I couldn't befriend anyone from the original story? Talk to them? Prevent any of the deaths from occurring? I fell back on my pillow, groaning at the headache that was already developing.

"At least tell me your name," I mumbled, placing the letter in the shelf on my bedside table. For now, I would let it go. I had a whole month to think about it after all. After that month, I'd be going to Hogwarts. Smiling, I closed my eyes, and shimmied under my covers.

_Finally_, I was going to Hogwarts.

**A/N: Ahhh! Harry Potter… my life-long obsession! I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter 'cause I tried my best! I always wanted to go to Hogwarts… but the letter never came… sadly. Well, tell me what you guys think!**

**Note: I edited bits of this chapter, as I'm planning on doing with the rest of the chapters. I reread through it, and realised that there are some severe inconsistencies that I overlooked. Sorry about that! Once again, I want to apologize for grammatical/spelling errors I made. I tried my best to avoid them!**

**~ClaireWalters**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to the great, and talented J. K. Rowling. **_

**A/N: New chapter! Enjoy!**

**Chapter two: Off to Hogwarts We Go!**

Yawning, I stretched my arms up in relief as I got out of the car. It had taken ages to get to King's Cross Station from my house.

"Mummy, what time is it?" I called to my mother, who had just returned with a trolley to help my dad load my heavy trunk from the car.

"It's ten-thirty," She sighed, flattening my hair, and kissing the top of my head as she passed by me. I couldn't help but smile. In the past month, I'd gotten to know my new family quite well. My mother was named Louise, and was forty years old. She'd met my father, Mark, in college, when she was twenty, and he was twenty-three. Mark worked as the marketing director for Grunnings, ironically enough, and always had a good joke on hand. Louise was currently working as a waitress for a cute little café a few blocks from out home, which served some amazing cakes. Personally, I was in love with their chocolate truffle. My brother, Carl, was often out with his friends, and too busy to talk to me. But when he did, I always found it very amusing and enlightening. All in all, I had grown very fond of the family in the past four weeks. Still, they couldn't quite replace my real family, who I still missed a lot.

"Hurry up Lily! We'll be late if you just daydream!" Carl shouted, grinning at me. I scowled, hurrying to catch up.

"Stop yelling!" I snapped at him, walking into the station with a huff. I was excited, and extremely nervous. It seemed almost as if thousands of tiny ants were crawling around in my stomach, and I twitched as we made our way to platform 9 and 10. I then stopped, wondering how it would work.

"Honey, do you think you can handle it from here?" My mum asked me. I nodded, relieved. This way, it would be so much easier. After tearful goodbyes on their end, I parted from my new family, and turned to the pillar between platforms nine and ten.

"Here goes nothing," I muttered, clutching my trolley. I moved forward quickly, making sure Persephone didn't fall off, breaking into a run in the last two metres. I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact. In a split second, everything was muffled, before the sound suddenly came back full force. I opened my eyes, coming to a screeching halt before I crashed into someone. Spinning around, I looked behind me, to see a great red brick wall staring back at me. Looking around, I noticed I was standing on a strange platform, which only led to one set of tracks. Moving forward, I looked up, and a thrill ran through me. Above me, on a dark green board, stood the numbers 9 ¾. I turned to the train, wondering how I hadn't noticed it before. A loud whistle echoed from the scarlet engine, almost as if it was welcoming me.

"Wicked," I whispered, gaping at the train. Steam billowed out the chimney on the front, floating up a few feet, before slowly settling down onto the knee-length clouds I was standing in. Filled with complete awe, I walked through the thick steam around my feet, while a thin layer hung above the heads of the people crowded on the platform. I tried looking everywhere at once, at the kids leaning out of the windows to give their mum a last kiss goodbye. At the two teens chasing each other around, one of them holding a shoe in their hand. There seemed to be a high demand on cats as well, as I saw their eyes staring at me from all directions. Persephone hooted contently in response to another howl's call, and I smiled at my tiny owl.

"We're going to Hogwarts," I whispered to her, excited. Rolling the trolley down the long row of carriages made me wonder: Where the Weasleys here already? What about Harry? I shrugged, peeking in through the windows along the side of the train. Finally, toward the end of the fifth carriage, I found a compartment that was empty. Hastily, I picked up Persephone and my light bag full of my valuables and brought it inside. Then, checking out the window to make sure no one took my trunk, I hurried outside again. For a moment, I stood there, dumbfounded as to how I'd get the heavy trunk on the train. Finally, I decided to give it a try, and heaved it off the trolley. The trolley clattered loudly, rolling away a couple of feet. Groaning, I painfully dragged the trunk over the platform, and hopped on the train. Once on there, I lifted up one end of the trunk, yelping as I twisted my wrist the wrong way. Dropping the dratted thing, I huffed, sitting there in the carriage door.

"Oi, need some help?" A kind voice asked, and an older boy looked in, grinning. I flushed in embarrassment, nodding.

"Yeah," I said, relieved and nervous. The older boy waved over someone else, and they carried my trunk into my compartment, stowing it away under my seat.

"There you go," The boy said, giving a thankful nod to his helper, who disappeared with a nod. I stood there awkwardly, rubbing my numb wrist.

"Thank you," I said eventually. The upperclassmen grinned at me, leaving my compartment with a small wave. I stood there for a bit, feeling a tad lonely. Sitting down, I stared around me, wondering what I should do. Finally, I decided to simply sit there and observe the people on the platform. It was nearly eleven by now, and the students were hurrying onto the Hogwarts Express. Parents and excited younger siblings were giving hearty goodbyes. The train gave a loud whistle as the clock struck eleven, and began setting into motion. I watched in fascination as we left the station, driving through London on empty tracks. Someone knocked on my compartment door, which I had left open, and a brunette girl peeked in, lugging a heavy trunk behind her.

"Hello," She said nervously. "May I sit in here?" I smiled shyly.

"Sure," I said, my voice going soft. I got up, and together we got her trunk into the compartment, and underneath the bench opposite of mine. She sat down, sitting very straight, while I rigidly slumped back in my seat.

"So…" I began, trailing off. I wondered if I should bother getting into an awkward small talk with this girl.

"This is my first year at Hogwarts," The girl began, attempting to create a conversation.

"Mine too," I said, nodding. Her face seemed to light up immediately, which caused warning bells to go off in my brain.

"Oh really? So you don't know which House you'll be in? Oh, you do know what houses are, right? I'm so excited! I've memorized all my schoolbooks! Are you from a Wizarding family? I'm not, so I probably am so behind on everything! Oh, I wonder what it is like there-" I threw myself forward, clamping a hand over her mouth. The girl, who had been going on into a fast rant, stared at me, surprised. I looked at her, annoyed.

"First of all, yes, this really is my first year at Hogwarts," I began, not bothering to release her from my grasp. "Now, to calm you down. I'm _not_ from a Wizarding family, but I do know a lot about the Wizarding world. So, if you would please shut up, and give your questions one by one, I might be able to answer them," I growled out. She blinked, and then finally nodded. I released her, and sat down again feeling very, _very_ old.

"I'm sorry," She said, blushing. I shrugged it off, staring out the window. She seemed calmer now, staring at me with interest.

"What do you mean that you know a lot about the Wizarding world?" She asked. A smile flitted over my face at her question, and I mentally laughed.

"Lets just say I'm quite fond of reading," I said, giving her a look. She snickered.

"Its good to know I'm not the only one," She said. It seemed that I had somehow broken the metaphorical ice between us. I decided to be nice to her, since she seemed quite nervous about being behind on things.

"Just so you know, you won't be behind on anything. Wizarding children aren't allowed to practice controlled magic outside of school until they are seventeen. They, just like muggle-born children, get their wands when they are eleven. They might have learned things in theory, but that isn't the same as actually using it," I assured her. She looked quite surprised to hear me say this.

"Really?" She asked, her voice small. I nodded.

"Learning all the books by heart and spewing out all the knowledge you have won't make you popular either," I said calmly. The girl was listening intently, hanging on every word I said. I couldn't help but smile in amusement. "In fact, I suggest you do keep all the knowledge you have to yourself until you can use it effectively. Since you memorized all your books, you must be pretty smart, so I'm sure you understand what I mean," The girl nodded, smiling gratefully at me.

"Thank you," She told me, blushing in embarrassment. "I didn't realize I might be making myself unpopular. I just wanted to fit in," She admitted. I laughed, catching her by surprise.

"I know what you mean," I told you, earning a smile. "Oh, by the way, I'm Lily Moon," I said, holding out my hand. The girl took it, giving it a firm shake.

"Hermione Granger, pleasure to meet you," She said. I choked on my spit, squeezing her hand in shock. Hermione looked at me, surprised.

'_Oh shit!'_ My mind yelled, a tiny version of myself recoiling in shock. '_I'm talking to Hermione! __**Hermione! **__Wait… did I just tell her not to be annoying and all that? Did I just befriend her? She didn't have any friends in the first few chapters! Oh crap! I have to fix this, quickly!'_ the mini-me in my head was running around in circles, tearing at her hair, screaming. I mentally knocked it to the ground, sitting up and smiling at Hermione. I released her hand, and leaned back.

"So Hermione," I began, but was stopped by a knock on the door. A plump, teary boy looked in.

"Hi… I'm Neville Longbottom…" He whimpered. I brightened immediately, seeing a way out of my sticky situation.

"Hi-ya Neville, what can we do for you?" I asked, quite cheerful. Both of them looked at me, as if wondering if I was crazy.

"Oh, I was just wondering… if maybe... you'd seen Trevor… he's my toad, a-and I've lost him! Again!" Neville was wailing the last bit. I grinned, pulling Hermione to her feet. Before the other girl could protest, I'd pushed her out of the compartment and onto Neville, who looked dumbfounded.

"Sure! You two go check the back! I'll go check the front!" I exclaimed, slamming the compartment door shut, and locking it. Hermione's shocked face stared back at me through the glass, and I quickly pulled the curtain, waving. I immediately sat down, to carefully think through what had just occurred.

"Okay, okay… calm down," I told myself, taking a deep breath. "So, first, Hermione Granger just _happens_ to sit down in the same compartment as you, and you give her advice on how she'll actually_ make_ friends! Well, that's okay for now… You sent her off with Neville, so she's bound to run into Harry and Ron, right?" I sighed, propping my elbows on my knees, and burying my face in my hands.

"So. Difficult," I groaned, leaning back. Staring out the window for a couple minutes, I watched the cows and pastures flash by. My stomach rumbled, and I grabbed my purse, taking out my wallet. I hoped the lady with the food trolley would come soon. Just as I thought this, I heard a knock on the door. I peeked through the curtains, and opened the latch, sliding the door aside.

"Anything from the trolley, dear?" The kindly witch asked me. I smiled, nodding. Inspecting everything, I finally decided on buying some of the more delicious sounding things, and paid the proper amount. Chewing on some nougat, with the other chunks safely in my pocket, I walked off, leaving the rest of my bounty on the table for Hermione and Neville, in case they returned empty-handed. Walking along the narrow corridor, I noticed that the Honeydukes Express lady had already disappeared.

"Figures," I muttered, knocking on a random compartment door. An annoyed girl peeked out, telling me to go away. I scowled at her rudeness as she slammed the door in my face, and walked on, asking everyone in the carriage if they had seen Trevor. I opened the carriage door in the front, and found myself magically looking straight at the next row of compartments. With a sigh, I continued my journey, with no success so far.

"It's not like he's going to find Trevor before we get to Hogwarts," I muttered, annoyed as I knocked on another door. The curtain had been drawn shut. There was some scuffling inside, but no other motion. I knocked again, getting ticked off. After waiting for another few minutes, I knocked again, with the same results. Highly annoyed, I yanked at the door handle, surprised as it slid open easily. Apparently, the people inside didn't know how to lock doors. Three guilty faces looked back at me. Well, more like two astonished, and a guilty face. Inside a small magical lamp that floated at the ceiling illuminated the compartment, which was pitch black, since the curtains had been drawn over the window. Three boys sat inside, a skinny blonde and two brute lumps. I immediately knew whom I was dealing with.

"Malfoy," I sighed, facepalming. Draco Malfoy stared at me with a sort of 'deer-in-the-headlights' kind of expression. I looked at what he was doing more closely, and found myself wanting to ram my head against a wall. In his hands were two tissues, the contents of which were buzzing. "Are you trying to squish that?" I asked, nodding at the bug he was holding between his palms. Malfoy stared at me silently. Apparently he did not think anyone would simply rip open an unlocked compartment door. Crabbe and Goyle just sat there like boulders, making me wonder where the moss was.

"Okay…" I said, the awkward silence stretching on. "I guess I'll let you…" I looked at the odd assortment of squashed bugs and tissues on the compartment table. "What the hell?" I asked, really confused. I closed the door, not wanting to have _anything_ to do with what they were doing. This was _definitely_ not something I'd expected. Scarred for life, I gave up on my search for Trevor, and made my way back to my compartment.

* * *

The cold night air rushed towards me as I got off the train. My cloak, which I was having a lot of fun wearing, was fluttering around my feet, just a couple centimetres off the floor. I spotted Malfoy walking with his pet rocks a couple metres away, and he turned pink as he caught my eye, probably thinking back to my earlier… discovery.

"Hey Lily!" I heard an excited whisper next to me, and I jumped, realizing that Hermione was talking to me.

"H-hi," I stammered, nervous. My mind was turning, as I tried to remember what was so important. '_She has to go into the boat with Neville, Ron and Harry!'_ my mini-me in my mind yelped, falling into a dead faint. Outwardly, I smiled, trying not to show how freaked out I was. I wasn't supposed to change _anything_ after all!

"So… where were you half the time?" Hermione asked, keeping an arm around my shoulder. She looked sweet enough from the outside, but the glint in her eyes warned me of the powerful witch she'd become.

"Uh… I ate a bad toffee," I lied. True, I'd hidden in the toilet for most of the ride, but not for the reason Hermione now believed. She gave me a sympathetic but disgusted look, and let go of my shoulder. Together, we hurried over to gathering group of first years, who had started following a tall man who I assumed was Hagrid. The trees around us blocked the light, and we found ourselves slipping and stumbling down a muddy path. I smiled, remembering this part in the story. "Soon," I whispered. Hermione heard me, and gave me a strange look, but I ignored her. Soon… soon I'd see Hogwarts! We turned the corner, and everyone gasped. I stared in awe, horror, and excitement. It was beautiful.

The castle seemed to radiate magic, its many windows glinting like stars. I froze up completely, unable to take my eyes off of the view. At that moment, I wished for nothing but my camera. Above us, a wide blanket of stars stretched out, and I craned my neck, fascinated. Everything around us was illuminated it blue by the moon, which reflected off the black lake. It was _everything_ that I had imagined and more.

"All right! Four to a boat!" Hagrid called. Hermione motioned for me to follow her, and I panicked. If I climbed into the same boat as her, I'd change the story! That couldn't happen!

"Go ahead with Neville, I'll be right there!" I told her, waving her along. She gave me an odd look, but did as I said. For a brief while, I glanced around, wondering where I should go. Thankfully, I was saved from making that decision myself when a hand shot out of nowhere, grabbed me, and dragged me into a boat. Goyle patted my head as I scrambled into a more comfortable position, while Crabbe gave me a nasty grin. Malfoy stared at me coldly, his cheeks pink.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid called. I looked over to Hermione, and saw her sitting in the boat with the people I had wanted her to sit with. She sent me a brief, panicked look, but I smiled at her to calm her down. "All right! Forward!" Hagrid yelled, and I held on as the boat I was in lurched forward. The little fleet slowly glided through the water, and I marvelled at the rippling reflection of the night sky. Malfoy cleared his throat to catch my attention.

"What?" I snapped, annoyed. Malfoy huffed.

"Well, Mudblood, I wanted you to know that what you saw earlier, you are _not_ to repeat to anyone else," He said pompously. I stared at him, dumbfounded by his stupidity.

"Why the hell would anyone want to know about 'Pureblood Malfoy' squashing bugs?" I asked, perplexed. Malfoy looked at me angrily.

"Be very careful about what you say, Mudblood," he attempted to threaten me. It didn't quite work, since I _was_ mentally four years older than him. "If you get on my bad side, I'll tell my father!" I choked back a laugh at that.

"I'm so scared," I snapped sarcastically. "Go run to daddy and grow a pair," I suggested, ducking my head as we glided into the cave. As I climbed out of the boat, I shot a glare over my shoulder. Apparently, I had further stunned Malfoy into submission. Who'd have guessed? To knock them back to their senses, I gave the boat a good kick, sending it floating back about a wand's length. The fantastic trio yelped, and scrambled out of the boat, getting their robes wet as they did. I stalked over to the group of first-years with an annoyed huff, and lined up. We walked through the passageway through the rock, hearing Malfoy and co's muffled swearing behind me. We walked over the grass, and up a flight of stairs, where we stopped, crowding around. I stared up at the castle with renewed anticipation, ignoring the chatter around me. Finally, Hagrid stepped forward, and together with the others I watched as he raised his fist to the door.

Those three knocks resounded through my body, and caused my heart to sink into the bottom of my stomach. For a reason I couldn't understand, I suddenly felt like I had made a big mistake.

**A/N: So people, I hope you enjoy this one just as much as the last one! I hope its up to your expectations… I tried to keep them in character, but it's a bit difficult. Happy summer!**

**~ClaireWalters**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of Joanne Kathleen Rowling. All I can do is let my imagination go wild.**_

**A/N: Here's another Chapter for all you people reading this! Thanks all of you that reviewed! It means a lot! :) Enjoy!**

**Chapter three: Talking Hats and Badgers**

I could feel the bile rising in my throat as those gigantic doors opened. A witch, who I assumed was Professor McGonagall, stepped out, inspecting us through her glasses.

"I'll take them from here Hagrid," She said calmly, "Thank you," With those words, she dismissed the half-giant, and led us into the school. I was shivering, my stomach churning. Not only was I nervous about what house I'd get sorted into, but I also had severe stage fright.

"All right first years," Professor McGonagall exclaimed, turning to look at us. "In a few moments, each of you will be sorted into your houses. Hogwarts has four houses: Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin," She continued talking, explaining to us everything that I already knew. I somehow managed to tune her out by scanning my surroundings. It seemed as if the walls would never end. Everything was designed beautifully. I stared at the large staircase that led up to the next floor.

'_Is Fluffy already guarding the stone?'_ a little voice whispered in my head. A jolt shot through me at the reminder. I stiffened slightly, becoming still as a statue. The stone… Quirrel… was Voldemort already in the castle? If not, where was he? I felt a headache coming on, and stopped thinking about it. I had enough to worry about for now. It's not like I could change anything.

"Wait in here," Professor McGonagall said, ushering us into a small side-room, before leaving us. I felt smaller than ever, squished in with my forty or so classmates and an intimidating castle around me. Looking around, I saw a sea of pale faces. Hermione was muttering to herself, while Neville was standing there, looking helpless with his robe buttoned under his ear. What a strange boy. Deciding it would be good to distract myself, I pushed past the people around me, till I was standing there facing Neville, who was quite taller than me.

"Don't worry Neville," I said in a hushed voice, adjusting his robe. He looked ready to cry.

"B-but…" He whimpered softly. I smiled reassuringly, buttoning his cloak appropriately. He looked relieved now that he was at least presentable, and I patted his shoulder.

"You'll do fine," I told him, nodding to myself. He smiled weakly, and I looked around, finding many people looking at me approvingly. I flushed, embarrassed at the attention. Thankfully, it was at that moment that the ghosts took their time to appear. Several people shrieked as they floated in through the walls, completely ignoring us. I was getting goosebumps, but I ignored it, choosing instead to wonder if the ghosts were doing this on purpose.

"Oh look! First years!" One of them said, smiling at us. "About to be sorted, right?" Several of us nodded. I took this time to fix my own appearance, making sure my buttons were on correctly, and that my hair wasn't too frizzy. Not that I could do much about it. I had just enough time to check that my wand was still stowed away in the specialized pocket inside my cloak, when Professor McGonagall returned to lead us away.

"Follow me," She said, "We're ready for you,"

Several people gasped as we walked into the Great Hall, taking in the splendid view. The rabid fangirl inside me began bubbling up to the surface again, and I was pretty sure I had stars in my eyes.

"Floating candles," I sang underneath my breath, mentally doing a little happy dance. Everything was so _real_ and so _magical!_ I heard someone snort behind me, and I turned to glare at whoever was laughing at me. Malfoy… again. "Are you stalking me or something?" I muttered in annoyance. He huffed, turning pink in indignation. He turned away from me, mumbling angrily under his breath. Ignoring the ferret, I followed the others down two of the house tables, scanning the teacher table for anyone that matched the descriptions in the novels. Professor Burbage spotted me, and sent me a discreet wave, which I returned with a bright smile. We gathered in the front of the hall around a four legged stool. Everyone's attention was on the old mangy hat up on the chair. I knew that it was the Sorting Hat, naturally, and was fascinated by it. The Sorting Hat moved into life, splitting its mouth wide open.

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat then me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve and chivalry,

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin,

Where you'll meet your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means,

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap."

I clapped respectfully along with the rest of the great hall, though some of the first years around me were too baffled to move. I couldn't help but smile discreetly at their astonishment.

"When I call you name," Professor McGonagall announced, "You will come up here, and put on the Sorting Hat. You shall then be placed in your correct houses," She said, unfurling the roll of parchment in her hand.

"Abbot, Hannah," The girl, who I learnt was Hannah, went up, sitting down. The Sorting hat momentarily paused, before shouting out what I already knew.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

This pattern continued for a while, with me taking extra care to put faces to names. I clapped heartily as Hermione was placed in to Gryffindor, glad that this hadn't changed. Maybe I hadn't changed the story line after all. Professor McGonagall moved down the alphabet quickly. Finally, we arrived at the M's.

"MacDougal, Morag," was quickly made into a Slytherin, followed by "MacMillan, Ernie," who became a Hufflepuff.

Malfoy sneered at me as he passed by me, sauntering pompously up to the Hat. It was centimeters from his hair when the hat screamed out "SLYTHERIN!" Malfoy's face turned from triumph to one of indignation as I laughed at him. After all, the hat had literally _screamed_. That doesn't happen everyday.

"Moon, Lily," Professor McGonagall called out. I took a deep breath, efficiently squashing my laughing fit, and walked forward. My nerves were on end, while I tried to hide my smile. Stiffly, I sat down and the Sorting Hat was placed on my head. It nearly slipped all the way down to my chin

'_Well, this certainly isn't a one-size-fits-all,'_ I thought in amusement. A small voice chuckled in my ear at the joke, and I quirked a grin.

'_Well, Lily, lets see here…'_ The Hat said, putting a sarcastic emphasis on my name. My smile turned into a scowl.

'_Oi, not my fault… the book was glowing!'_ I whined. The hat laughed.

'_I already know your circumstances. After all, none of your thoughts remain hidden from me,'_ the implication was clear to me, and I felt my cheeks heat up. After all, normally I _was_ a hormonal fifteen-year-old.

'_Anyway, lets get back to the point,'_ I snapped, annoyed. '_And s__top snooping in my private thoughts!'_ The hat chuckled again, before seemingly composing itself.

'_Well, the real Lily Moon might have been different, but judging from _your_ memories, I have made my decision…'_ I crossed my fingers, silently hoping I would get what I wanted. The Hat had fallen silent in my mind.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" I heard the hat exclaim confidently into the great hall.

"YES!" I cheered jumping up triumphantly, pulling the hat off my head. My cheeks burnt with embarrassment as a couple people laughed. The Hufflepuffs were cheering however, and I gently put the hat down, half-skipping down to the table, where a first-year girl moved aside so that I could sit next to her. The noise died down as the next people were sorted. From the first years, only two more boys joined our table: Zacharias Smith, and Edward Summerby. Finally, the last person was sorted, and the Hat was carried off. Dumbledore stood up, and clapped his hands to get out attention.

"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He announced. People clapped heartily, and I snickered. Turning to the food, I thought about what I wanted to eat.

"Um, excuse me, can you please give me some lamb?" I asked the girl who had moved over to make some room for me. She sent me a bright smile, and passed me the plate.

"I'm Megan, by the way," She said, after I had put the plate down on the table. "Megan Jones," I shook her offered hand.

"Lily Moon, pleasure to meet you," I said. Megan laughed, flipping her shoulder length brown hair out of her face.

"Need a headband?" A blonde girl across from us asked. Megan looked up, surprised. The girl, another first year, grinned, holding out a hair tie. Megan took it gratefully. "I'm Samantha Fawcett," The girl introduced herself, shaking both of our hands. The boys, who had been listening in to our conversation, grinned.

"Wayne Hopkins," One of them said, vigorously shaking our hands in turn. Edward Summerby did the same. Hannah, and Susan gave short introductions, but only waved shyly, before they continued talking to each other. Zacharias Smith, and Ernie MacMillan almost ignored us completely. Justin Finch-Fletchley looked at us briefly, saying a short hello, before concentrating on his food.

"So, Lily," Wayne asked, since he was sitting next to me. "You muggle-born?" I nodded, sipping on the pumpkin juice. It tasted extremely sweet, and I grimaced.

"Yeah, but I know a lot about the Wizarding World," I said, trying to get the taste from my tongue. Edward laughed.

"Yeah, but you don't like Pumpkin Juice," He teased me. I stuck out my tongue, shuddering.

"Well, anyway, It doesn't matter 'bout blood," Samantha said, shrugging. "I'm a pureblood, but no one in my family really cares," Wayne nodded.

"I'm half-blood. My dad's a pureblood, and my mum's muggleborn," He said. I laughed at that. Everyone looked at me strangely. "Why's that funny?" Wayne asked. I snickered.

"Its nothing… just… You're the same as Harry," I informed him. The small group around me stared in silence.

"How do you know?" Megan asked. I blushed.

"I read about it," I said simply. Edward shrugged it off, continuing the conversation. I kept my head low, staying out of the conversation for the rest of the feast.

* * *

"All right," Our prefect told us. "First years, follow me," I obediently followed the Hufflepuff crowd out of the Great Hall. On the way out, I bumped into Hermione, who turned to me, a bright smile on her face. Before I knew it, she'd thrown her arms around me, hugging me.

"Congratulations on getting into Hufflepuff!" She exclaimed. I gave her a hug back.

"Same to you for Gryffindor," I said earnestly. Hermione smiled somewhat sadly.

"Too bad we couldn't be in the same house," She sighed. I shrugged.

"Hey, we're bound to have some classes together," I comforted her. Hermione smiled again, nodding.

"Anyway, we better head off to our houses," She exclaimed, suddenly realizing that the Gryffindor first years were already up the stairs. I laughed.

"Go on ahead, I have to catch up to my group as well," I said. Hermione looked at me oddly, but shook off what ever she was thinking.

"Well! See you tomorrow!" She called, and raced off. I waved goodbye, and hurried over to Megan and the others.

"Gryffindor friend?" Samantha, who preferred being called Sam, asked with an amused tone. I grinned, nodding.

"Hermione Granger. I met her on the train," I said. Megan grinned.

"Hey girls," Wayne suddenly said, popping out of nowhere behind us, slinging his arms around Megan and my shoulders. "So, Smith said he'd brought some sweets from home. However, he has too many, so he was wondering if you wanted some," Megan pretended to think about it, before grinning, winking at me.

"Sure! We'll take some!" She said, nodding. Sam cheered, earning a playful glare from the prefect. While Wayne walked off too tell Zacharias that the transaction had been successful, I tried to memorize our surroundings. After a while, I got dizzy, with all the moving portraits, and a staircase moving here and there. Every brick looked almost the same.

'_I'm going to be so lost tomorrow,'_ I mentally groaned. Our little group walked down a hallway, past a large still life painting with a lot of fruits that reminded me of the kitchens, and stopped in front of a large stack of barrels. Our prefect cleared his throat.

"This is the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room," He explained. "You tap the second barrel from the bottom, middle of the second row with the rhythm 'Helga Hufflepuff'," He smiled at us, "This password will never change, unlike the passwords of the other houses. However, we're also the only house to have a defense mechanism. If you tap the wrong number of times, or the wrong barrel, you'll get drenched in vinegar," The prefect was practically cackling the last bit.

'_Sadistic,'_ I thought, deadpanning. The prefect tapped on the aforementioned barrel five times in an easy to remember pattern: Long-Long-Short-Short-Short. The barrel lid swung open like a door, and the Prefect ushered us inside. A small earthy passage sloped upwards, and I ducked a little so I wouldn't hit the ceiling. Us first years climbed up a little ways, before we found ourselves in a cozy common room. In geometric terms, it could only be described a hemisphere. It was decorated with cheery yellows, bordered with black in some places. Plants hung from the ceiling in copper pots, and there was a fireplace with two round doors on either side of it. The prefect cleared his throat.

"Girls dormitories go through the right, boys on the left," He indicated to the doors. "You can look at the common room more tomorrow. Get a good night's rest," He suggested. Hannah, Susan, Megan, Sam and I climbed through the door on the right, only to stand in a dark, earthy hallway. There were parts of the wall that had been hollowed out, where there was a torch burning inside. In the little light we had, we walked along, until we found a large oval door with the label 'First Years' in the front. We climbed inside, and found ourselves in another hemisphere shaped room, with five comfortable looking wooden bedsteads, each with patchwork quilt bed sheets. On the far side of the room, there were small windows looking out at the Hogwarts grounds placed near the very top. You could see the stars from them. Our stuff had already been brought in, and I flopped down on my bed, sighing contently at the soft mattress. Hannah giggled at my behavior, and I propped up on my elbows, laughing with the others, who had sat down on their beds. Megan's eyes suddenly went wide, and she rushed out of the room. About ten minutes later, she returned, arms full of sweets.

"And we have sugar!" She said dramatically, dumping it in the middle of the floor. Susan fell to the floor next to the mound, and we gathered around the sweets.

"What classes are you looking forward to?" Sam asked. Susan thought about it.

"Well, Herbology sounds very interesting," She admitted. Hannah nodded in agreement.

"I'm also looking forward to charms," Hannah added. Nods of agreement went through the group.

"I wonder what potions is like," I mused, looking forward to meeting Professor Snape. The others looked at me incredulously. I shrugged. "I'll probably be horrible at it, but it sounds interesting," I tried to reason. Megan chuckled.

"No one is judging you... yet," She laughed. I stuck my tongue out at her playfully. We'd finished a quarter of our treasure when we decided to go to bed. Going to brush our teeth in our small bathroom, we slipped into our PJ's and got into bed. I lay in bed for a while, awake from the sudden sugar rush. The sugar levels in my blood were already decreasing, and I was beginning to feel drowsy again.

"First day of classes tomorrow," I whispered to myself, pulling the blankets up over my shoulders. It was surprisingly cool inside the room, which suited me just fine. Turning around, I fell asleep, dreaming of all the possibilities for tomorrow.

**A/N: There! Next chapter done and finished! I hope its okay. I know that not a lot of action has happened yet, and it probably won't for the next few chapters. After all, I'm still following the original story line. Lily isn't supposed to change anything, so the action will happen when it happens. Hope you enjoyed it!**

**~ClaireWalters**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter, and all information related to it, belongs to JK Rowling .**_

**A/N: Here's another chapter for you guys! Thanks for all the reviews! Makes me all fuzzy and warm inside! :3 For everyone's information, I got the description for the Hufflepuff common room from , and merely described it how I imagined it from there. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Chapter four: Beginning Classes**

"Lily!" I vaguely heard a chipper voice call me, "Wake up! Breakfast only lasts for another half-hour!"

"Fifteen more minutes," I groaned, pulling my blanket over my head. I heard someone huff, and wondered briefly why they wouldn't leave me alone. Next thing I knew, I was lying in my bed my legs and arms completely exposed. I let out a cat-like mewl of protest, curling into myself.

"Lily, get up," I heard my perpetrator sigh. I woozily blinked my eyes open, and saw Megan's blurry face appear.

"Waddya want?" I slurred. Megan giggled, as eleven-year-old girls tend to do.

"It's the first day of classes, silly," she laughed. I scowled, not wanting the reminder. With a groan, I got up, swaying a little on my feet. Megan pushed a towel and my bathroom kit in my hands, shoving me towards the bathroom.

"Wha-?" I mumbled, hearing the door lock behind me. Growling, I took off my warm PJ's and slipped under the shower. Turning on the water, I cursed. It was cold.

"Stupid roommates," I muttered angrily, my body screaming for sugar. Showering quickly, and washing my hair, I stepped out of the shower to brush my teeth, still dripping wet. I inspected myself in the mirror. Damn, those curls were starting to get annoying.

"Megan!" I whined as I walked into the dorm, with the towel wrapped around me. Megan was sitting on my bed, holding out my uniform for me to grab. I scowled at her, dumping my old clothes in my open trunk, and snatching it from her.

"You're welcome!" She called after me, snickering. Moments later, we were toppling out of the entrance barrel, having not expected the sudden, and unexpected drop.

"They should put up a warning sign," Megan complained, rubbing her bum. Despite my growling stomach I laughed at our predicament.

"Let's try to find the Great Hall," I snickered. Megan's groan made me laugh even more, and we set off on our journey to the Great Hall. We got lost several times on our way up there, walking up the wrong staircase, or suddenly having a staircase move us to a completely different spot. So, it was no surprise that when we finally arrived, most of the people were already on their way to classes.

"Bugger," Megan gasped. We stumbled towards the nearest table, grabbing a couple muffins from the left over food, before hurrying off, having gotten our Schedules shoved into our hands by our patiently waiting prefect.

"I think that was the Slytherin table," I muttered through my muffin as we ran along the corridors. First class was with McGonagall. Great, she was going to lynch us for being late.

"Tomorrow, I'm waking you up earlier," Megan huffed as we stopped, completely lost. "Damnit, why don't they have signs in this place?" I went up to a portrait, clearing my throat. The man in the portrait looked very annoyed.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but, would you mind telling us where the Transfiguration room is?" I asked. The portrait huffed, and pointed to the right.

"Terribly sorry," Megan apologized as we ran off. Almost ten minutes late, we burst into the room, panting. Sam giggled, waving at us. Megan slipped in next to Sam, while I sat down next to a Ravenclaw girl with very straight, ash-blonde hair.

"Hello," The girl said, smiling at me. "Don't worry, almost everyone was late,"

"Thanks," I said, still panting. "Lily Moon," I introduced myself, holding out a hand. She shook it shyly.

"Sally-Anne Perks. Call me Sally," She said. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat at the front of the room, and out attention was drawn to her.

"Well, now that we're all present, let's begin," She said, her gaze stern. I yawned, despite myself, and braced myself for the long speech that was bound to come. And come it did. I managed to appear to be paying attention, while daydreaming about chasing Megan out of Hogwarts yelling hexes at her. I was snapped out of my daze when Sally poked me, before turning back to her matchstick. I straightened, hastily scrambling to get wand out. This was bound to be a long day.

* * *

"Not even a _bit_ pointy!" I whined, hanging my head in shame. Sam laughed at my dramatics as we took the thirty-minute break to find our Herbology greenhouse. As it turned out, we were the first people there, which delighted professor Sprout immensely.

"Oh! My little Hufflepuffs!" She exclaimed cheerfully, clapping her hands together. Megan, Sam and I stood there for a bit, feeling a little awkward. We were saved from having to strike up any small-talk when Wayne and Edward, who I have the feeling were stalking us, suddenly crashed into us from behind.

"Oi! Watch it!" I snapped, nearly toppling to the floor. Sam was less lucky, falling to the ground after having been accidentally shoved by Edward.

"Ed…" I heard her growl. Professor Sprout grinned at us.

"Go sit down. I'll tell you the lesson plan for today when everyone gets here," She said. We shuffled over to the table, sitting down around it. Not soon after we'd sat down, Hermione walked in, and silently seated herself next to me. She looked gloomy and depressed.

"Hey? What's wrong?" I asked, prodding her with my elbow. The brunette faked a smile, looking even more depressed. I sighed, rolling my eyes. This was going to be a painful two months till she finally became friends with Ron and Harry. "See, I told you we'd have some classes together," I said, attempting to cheer her up. A small smile appeared on Hermione's face. Megan noticed the depressed girl, and fished out a couple pretzels she had snuck into her bag.

"Oi! Hermione, right?" Megan asked. Hermione looked up, surprised. "Take some," Megan offered, leaning over me.

"Thank you," Hermione said, blushing. The rest of the Hufflepuffs in the greenhouse looked at her, smiling.

"Hermione Granger, right?" Sam asked across the table. Hermione nodded. "I'm Samantha Fawcett, call me Sam. Lily told us a bit about you," She said. Hermione's eyes lit up a little bit. The others, sitting on the other side of the table than us, greeted her as well.

"So, what class did you just have?" I asked. Hermione grimaced, snacking down on the pretzels she had been offered.

"History of Magic," She groaned. Wayne shuddered.

"I heard the professor's a ghost," He said. Hermione nodded.

"Professor Binns. He's very informed, but he talks _very_ monotone," She informed us. Edward's face lit up.

"A real ghost? That's so cool!" He exclaimed. Sam hit him upside the head, causing us to break out in laughter. Even Hermione snickered.

"Idiot, we met several ghosts yesterday," Sam muttered, grinning good-heartedly. Edward whined, complaining about abuse and evil classmates as the rest of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff houses filed into the greenhouse. I sat there, listening only partially as Professor Sprout told us about the different uses of particular plants. Neville, to my delight, was extremely interesting, and looked more confident than ever.

'_No surprise there, he does become the next Herbology professor after the war,'_ I reminded myself. It was frightening to realize that I knew so much about so many different people. I felt, for a moment, as if I was deciding their futures. Harry and Ron were sitting on the two chairs next to Sam, but they hadn't spoken a word to us. As our class jotted down notes from Professor Sprout's presentation, I scribbled a little message on a piece of parchment, ripping it off, and discreetly throwing it at Ron's head.

"Ow! Blimey, who the bloody hell threw that?" I heard him hiss at Harry, who, being Harry Potter, picked up the parchment, and unfurled it. He read my little message, frowned, and whispered something to Ron. I noticed someone staring at me, and turned a little to the left, only to see Megan staring at me curiously. I grinned at her, a gesture that she returned. We settled back into our previous positions, lazily sketching, and doodling, while jotting down the occasional bit of information.

* * *

"Hey, go ahead without me! I'll be right there!" I told my growing group of friends. Hermione looked at me curiously, before being involved in a conversation with Wayne and Megan. I hurried behind the greenhouse, to see Ron and Harry waiting there, like I had told them to.

"What do you want?" Harry asked, attempting to sound brave. I rolled my eyes.

"Relax," I told them, "I'm not going to bite," The two Gryffindors looked at each other, obviously skeptical. My eye twitched in annoyance. "I'm just here because I want you to be nicer to Hermione," I heard Ron groan.

"It's not our fault she's so bloody annoying! She just won't shut up!" He complained, obviously thinking that I'm just as annoying as Hermione. I took a calming breath, reminding myself that they were only eleven, and Ron had major insecurity issues.

"She's my friend, and I don't want you treating her like crap," I snapped at them. Ron opened his mouth to protest, but Harry sent him a silencing look. "I'm not asking you guys to befriend her, I just don't want to see her walk into another class with the expression she was wearing earlier. She's only eleven!" I exclaimed. _That_ got me some odd looks.

"Aren't you also eleven?" Harry asked, really confused. I flushed, embarrassed.

"Uh… well… of course," I said, mentally cursing. _Now_ Harry was going to be suspicious of me. "Anyway, I just want you to treat her nicer. And make sure that the others don't treat her too badly either. You should understand how difficult it is to suddenly be thrown into this," I said, looking pointedly at the black-haired boy. Harry nodded, a little ashamed, but understanding.

"We'll try," He promised me. I smiled gratefully, and walking away. Behind me, Ron and Harry were having a hushed argument, but I didn't care. Hermione's downcast expression earlier had _really_ struck a nerve. I turned the corner, and suddenly found myself being tackled into a hug. I coughed as I accidentally breathed in Hermione's bushy hair as the taller girl threw her arms around me.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered to me, letting me go. I shrugged, walking towards the castle with her.

"What're friends for?" I asked her, causing her to giggle. I paused for a second, and looked at her incredulously. "Wait, don't tell me you ditched dinner to follow me," I groaned. Hermione only laughed louder.

* * *

It had been very easy to find the Charms corridor, since the older students had taken pity on us first years, and gladly gave us directions. Still, my little circle of Hufflepuff first years had all arrived at the class, panting.

"All right everybody!" Professor Flitwick squeaked excitedly. "Take out your wands, I'm going to show you all how to use them," I dug around in the inside of my cloak, fishing my wand out of its pocket. Professor Flitwick walked around, checking to make sure we were all holding our wands properly, telling us about how holding your wand properly would make your spells more powerful. I listened carefully, extremely interested in how magic worked.

"For the first month, we will be practicing using your wand correctly, and discussing the theory of how to cast a spell," Flitwick was informing us. "Magic is more than just waving around a wand and saying a few funny words. There is a technique behind it. I will assume you have all had Professor McGonagall's class already," He said, looking around. Several of us nodded. "Good. Most of you will probably have realized that magic isn't as simple as it looks," Murmurs of agreement went through the room. "This is because you having been channeling your magic correctly!" I listened, fascinated as Professor Flitwick explained to us the basics to magic, and how to control it. Megan was scribbling down notes next to me, and for a moment, I thought that perhaps I should too. I brushed that idea off, and instead listened to Flitwick's speech. I could always copy Megan's notes later. Charms ended with us getting homework on the proper uses for a wand, and we all walked out of the room, dizzy from all the new information.

"I can't believe they gave us homework on the first day," Wayne complained. Sam nodded, grimacing.

"Well, at least we didn't have Potions today," She muttered. I mentally agreed with her, knowing that, despite Snape being a hero, he was still Snape.

"Well, think of it this way," Megan said, stretching. "We've got a free period now," Edward sighed contently, nodding.

"Thankfully," He muttered. I grimaced.

"But where are we supposed to go?" I muttered, annoyed. The others drew a blank at that. Megan yawned, pointing out the window.

"Gwen, my older sister, told me that the lake has this giant squid in it," She said. "Wanna go sit there?" I shrugged, while Wayne enthusiastically agreed. Edward rolled his eyes, and we all made our way down to the lake. It was a surprisingly sunny day out, and we all lay down in the grass, enjoying the sunshine while it would last. I tuned out my whirring thoughts, focusing only on the cool breeze, and the sounds around me. Next to me, Megan sneezed.

"Bloody butterfly," I heard her mutter, causing me to snort. After several failed attempts of covering up our laughs, the five of us were curled up on the grass, laughing loudly. I opened my eyes, propping myself on my elbows, and wiping tears from my cheeks with a grin.

"Sneezing because of a butterfly," I giggled. A shadow suddenly loomed over me, and I felt a prickling in the back of my neck. Megan and Sam's grins faded when they spotted who was behind me. I turned to look who it was, only spotting a pair of feet before I was doused in water. Spluttering I blinked the water from my eyes. Over by a tree, Crabbe and Goyle stood, nasty grins on their faces. I growled up at Malfoy, who was standing there, an empty cauldron in his hand.

"Hello Moon. I thought you might need a little cool down," Malfoy drawled. I narrowed my eyes, my robes all wet, and water dripping from my nose and chin.

"That _better_ only have been water," I snarled. Malfoy smirked, throwing the cauldron over to his goons, who snickered maliciously.

"And if it wasn't, Hufflepuff?" He sneered. With a roar of outrage, and a little panic, I threw myself forward, tackling Malfoy down by his knees. The pureblood prince shrieked like a five-year-old girl, and fell onto the grass.

"_Was that only water_?" I yelled, pinning his legs to the ground. Malfoy's arms were flailing in the air as he tried to kick me off.

"Get away from me!" Malfoy screeched.

"_TELL ME!"_ I shouted back.

"LET GO!" He shrieked. I wrapped my arms around his ankles as he tried to move away. Crabbe and Goyle fearfully stood there, shouting Malfoy's name in despair. Behind me, my friends had burst out into fresh tears of mirth. I let out the best threatening bark that I could, I firmly clutched Malfoy's legs. He looked ready to cry.

"IT WAS WATER! I SWEAR! NOTHING BUT WATER!" He finally yowled at the top of his lungs. I smirked, and let him go, getting up, towering over him.

"Thank you," I said pompously, and motioned for my friends to follow me. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle watched us walk away with gaping mouths. Megan couldn't control her laughing.

"Epic," She snickered, once we were a safe distance away. I giggled in response. Sam rolled her eyes, grinning.

"You knew it was only water, didn't you?" She sighed. I put a finger to my lips, winking at her. She burst out laughing at that. Wayne and Edward shared a look.

"You guys are crazy," Edward chuckled. Feeling very refreshed we tumbled back to the castle, laughing the entire way.

* * *

I sat alone in the common room, huddled in a comfortable armchair. It was close to midnight, and I was the only one in here, sitting in front of the fire. I frowned, thinking over what had happened since I'd gone on the train.

"Damnit, and I'm not supposed to change things," I sighed, resting my head in my hand. What was the point of knowing what would happen if I changed everything? Somehow, I had to make sure I didn't damage to the original time-line. Sure, we didn't know a lot about what Hermione did before she became friends with Harry and Ron, so I probably was in the safe zone with that. I just had to be careful from now on, so that I didn't accidentally cause any major changes. Staring at the painting above the fireplace, I sighed. Helga Hufflepuff smiled at me, saluting me with her golden cup. The dancing badgers around her frame seemed to move in the flickering firelight.

"What would you do?" I asked the smiling lady in the painting. Minutes ticked by, and I started feeling silly. Why would a painting respond to me? Helga seemed to think for a moment, before pointing to a window above her painting. I looked at her for a bit, confused, then let my eyes travel upwards. My heart almost stopped when I spotted a dark shape sitting there, before it gave off a small, familiar hoot. Helga was laughing in her painting at my reaction, and I snickered a little, before getting up to get Persephone.

"What're you doing here sweetie?" I asked my tiny owl, who affectionately nibbled at my fingers. A heavy package dangled from her leg, and I quickly released her from the load. Letting Persephone free, I watched my tiny owl flutter around the common room for a bit, grinning as she played among the dangling tendrils of ceiling plants before swooping out through the round windows. I felt Helga watching me from her portrait as I flopped back down onto the armchair, and unwrapped my parcel. A camera fell out, together with a note. I sat there for a bit, stupefied, before I finally bend down, and picked both items up. Placing the camera in my lap, I unfurled the note, and groaned.

_Hey Lily!_

_We hope this is a good enough 'welcome to Hogwarts' gift!_

_The camera is a magical Polaroid. It's the newest model of 2012. If you want to take group shots, just tap it with your wand to levitate it, then wave your wand again to take the photo._

_Enjoy!_

_Y.F._

I stared mystified at the magical Polaroid. This Y.F. person had sent me a magical Polaroid from 2012? How was that even possible? Looking at the clock on the far right wall, I saw that it was nearing midnight. Sighing, I got up, taking my newly acquired camera with me. Tomorrow was a new day, filled with new adventures and classes. _Fantastic._

**A/N: And here you go. I hope this chapter is okay. :s Well, thank you! Have a great weekend all of you!**

**~ClaireWalters**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: and Harry Potter belong to the fantastic J. .**_

**A/N: Finally I finished this chapter! It was so hard to write, because my head is filled with ideas for future chapters, but I had to finish this one first. So, here you go! Oh, and Cutiedust, you're correct, they don't look like the actors, but how they are described in the books. Well, all of you enjoy!**

**Chapter five: Ferrets and Explosions**

"Lily! Ready to go?" Megan asked, grinning. I yawned, rubbing the last crumbs of sleep from my eyes. Snatching up my bag with my schoolbooks for today, we hurried out after Sam, who was waiting for us at the girl's dorm door. Today was the second day of classes, and we had woken up to rain drumming on the windows of the dorm. From what we could see from the dorm door, muddy water was dribbling down the sides of the walls in the common rooms. Why they had open windows was beyond me.

"Wayne and Ed were kind enough to wait for us today," Sam said sarcastically. I laughed, climbing out into the common room. I spotted Wayne's russet, and Edward's dirty blonde hair standing near the tunnel to the barrel door entrance.

"Hurry up!" Wayne shouted, waving his arms around. Sam made a face at him, causing him to stick out his tongue childishly. As we passed Helga's portrait, we all waved at her in greeting. Our house's founder beamed back at us, before grimacing as a droplet of water rolled over her portrait. We hurried over to the boys, who were already daring the narrow, almost deadly sloped tunnel to the entrance. Like yesterday, we all ended up tumbling down onto the ground outside.

"They obviously have never heard of stairs," Sam whined as we walked into the Great Hall, having only gotten lost once. I snickered at her comment, which had gotten strange looks from the Slytherin table. We walked down to the third table, sitting down. Hermione, who was sitting behind me, leaned back, twisting around.

"Hey Lily," She said casually, pointing to one of the muffins. "Mind handing me one of those? The ones over here are all raisin," I shrugged, grabbing one, and handing it to her. She grinned at me.

"What?" I asked, confused. She shook her head, giggling.

"Nothing," She sang, "Good luck with history today!" I scowled at the chipper Gryffindor, grabbing a piece of toast, and taking a reproachful bite into it. Megan laughed at my expression. Just then, the owls began swooping down upon us. I stared as the flurry of feathers settled down upon us, and pulled a little from my toast, holding it out in my hand. Persephone swooped down out of nowhere, almost crash-landing into my palm. The little feathery bundle cooed happily, gobbling up the miniature crumbs of toast. My friends stared at my interaction with the tiny owl. Suddenly, I got an idea, and pulled out my camera, only to have it snatched out of my hands.

"Is this a magical Polaroid?" Edward gasped, more enthusiasm on his face than I had ever seen. Persephone looked up from snacking, staring at the randomly shrieking boy. I gave Edward a slightly terrified look.

"And if it is?" I asked hesitantly. The blonde boy beamed at me.

"Can I use it?" He whispered to me. "I'm a big fan of photography!" At this, I would have facepalmed if I could have. Instead, I stayed still so Persephone could eat. Unconsciously, I handed the tiny owl (who seemed to have a very big appetite) my entire toast, and she threw herself at it with vigor. Sighing, I agreed to let Edward use my camera during the day.

"Thank you!" the blonde exclaimed. I rolled my eyes, turning back to my little owl, surprised that the toast was suddenly gone.

"Hey, you ate the whole thing?" I exclaimed, shocked. Persephone cooed contently, nibbling on my finger affectionately. I heard a snap next to me, and then Persephone flopped side-ways, crooning sleepily. Edward handed me the picture, and I looked at it once, before stowing it away in an envelope.

"You should get a photo album!" Sam said, excited at the idea. Edward nodded, eating the rest of his breakfast, the camera hanging around his neck. All the other owls had disappeared save for the half-unconscious one in my hands.

"What am I gonna do with _her?_" I whined as we got up to go to class, cradling my strangely sleeping owl in my hands.

* * *

History of Magic was a lot more boring that I had imagined. Professor Binns was probably the lamest, and most unusual ghost in the entire castle. Not to mention all he did was hover in his comfy chair in the front center of the room, while the rest of us sat on uncomfortable benches around the amphitheatre style lecture hall. His voice was old and faded, droning softly about some dates and names that I couldn't care less about.

"I'm going to sleep," I whispered to Megan, who was sitting next to me, glassy eyed. In front of us, Edward was inspecting my camera, and behind us, Wayne and Sam were having a snoring contest.

"How many more minutes?" Megan mumbled, her voice slow and sleepy. Edward looked up at us, checking his watch.

"About forty-five," He said cheerfully, turning back to my camera. "Hey Lily, what year is this camera? I haven't seen anything like this!" I groaned, gently stroking the still sleeping Persephone's tiny head as she lay in the makeshift nest I had made her out of my tie.

"2012," I muttered, my mind fuzzy. The rain was hitting the window panes in a steady beat, making my eyelids slowly slide down. Edward laughed at my response.

"Funny," He chuckled, obviously not believing me. "Well, I guess you don't know either, huh?" He turned back to the camera, smiling contently. As I was dozing off, a little voice inside my head was telling me that this wasn't how you are supposed to start a school year. I gave a sleepy snort as I realized I'd nearly fallen asleep, or gotten distracted in every single class I'd had so far.

'_Maybe I should just study what's going to be on the final exams… dancing pineapple… turning a mouse into something… History was something boring… Ron probably failed it…'_ My head fell onto my arms and I welcomed the blissful darkness. The sound of the rain really made me sleepy. I was yanked back into consciousness as a small paper hit the top of my head. Groggy, I looked up, picking up the balled up note.

_Sleeping in class? Typical._

I could almost hear the sneer behind the words, and looked around, scanning the crowd of sleepy people for the trademark platinum blonde hair. Two rows behind me, two seats to the left, Malfoy smirked at me, in perfect view as all the people in our way were asleep. I scowled, and silently scribbled down something on my blank parchment, tearing it off, and chucking it over at him, careful not to be spotted by Binns. I snickered silently as Malfoy's eyebrows rose, and he looked over at Crabbe, who was emitting chain saw like noises. I turned back to my little owl, which was hooting in her sleep, stroking her head gently. Another note hit my head.

'_Who votes this is the most ridiculous class ever?'_

I chuckled, writing down my reply, before sending it flying back.

'_Everyone, you dimwit,'_

My amusement peaked as Malfoy scowled at my lame insult, and I saw him furiously scribbling something down. I stifled a laugh as his face turned pink from the effort, and he threw it at me. I unfurled the scrap of parchment, reading the lengthy reply with a grin.

'_I'm a dimwit? You're the dimwit, you dimwit! You aren't even taking notes! How are you supposed to know anything is you don't even bother listening? Why did a Mudblood like you even go to this school if you're not going to learn?'_

A small little burst of laughter escaped me, and everyone's attention was drawn to me. Professor Binns looked highly disapproving.

"Ms. Merryweather,"He said, getting my name wrong. How he did that was beyond me. "I don't see what's so funny about Elric the Eager getting slaughtered by Reisenhauer the Rambunctious," At the names, I burst out into loud laughter, causing Professor Binns to look even more affronted.

"I'm sorry sir," I said, catching my breath with a laugh. "I just remembered something very funny that happened this morning,"After a bit, the drama receded, and everyone was either sleeping, or daydreaming again. I wrote down another note to Malfoy, now ticked off at him because he'd gotten me in trouble. I didn't do well with a lot of attention on me.

'_Great going ferret-boy. Go crawl back to your dungeon, the sewers are complaining that it's not smelly enough,'_

With that said, I turned around in my seat, aiming right in-between Malfoy's eyes.

"Headshot!" I crowed, leaping up with my arms in the air. Malfoy glared poison daggers at me as he crumpled the note that had smacked right into his forehead. The bell rang moments later, and I quickly gathered all my stuff, sticking my tongue out at Malfoy as I filed out of the classroom with my friends.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked, amused. I rolled my eyes, still annoyed with the platinum blonde.

"He was annoying me," I said simply, hurrying up my footsteps. Megan gave Sam a meaningful look behind my back, but I ignored it. Suddenly, Malfoy was walking beside me, a _very_ pissed off expression on his face.

"I do _not_ look like a ferret!" he seethed. I shot him a dark look, seeing with satisfaction as he backed away a bit.

"Stop following me," I snapped at him. He huffed, refusing to move from the spot. Over on the far left, Crabbe and Goyle were fighting their way over to us through the crowd. I faintly heard Megan whispering something to Sam, who giggled.

"Malfoy!" I heard Crabbe yelp. "Wait up!" I noticed Malfoy hesitate, before quickly catching up to me again.

"Well, aren't you very loyal," I sneered at him. He let out a strange sort of yowl, like a cat whose tail had been trodden on.

"I suppose you Hufflepuffs are better than us Slytherins, aren't you?" He snapped. I stopped, a grin making its way over my face. A soft chuckle began rising from my throat, and I burst out into laughter. Wayne gave me a strange look, patting my head as he passed me by. My friends winked at me, disappearing into the crowd.

"Good luck with her!" Edward shouted over the crowd of people at Malfoy, who scowled.

"What class are you heading to," He finally drawled. I wiped tears of mirth from my eyes. Who would have thought that Malfoy would say such a thing?

"Defence," I said. Another groan from Malfoy made me start snickering again. I felt him grab my shoulder, manoeuvring me through the halls. "What're you doing?" I asked, amused. Malfoy sneered at me, pushing me along.

"Go on, move it. I don't want to be late to class because of you," He snapped. My jaw dropped, and my eyes widened at that proclamation.

"You… What… No…" I stammered, hoping it wasn't true. Malfoy huffed, shoving me in the direction of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"Yes Moon. We have the same class," He hissed, shoving me forward again. I lost my balance, stumbling a little. Collecting my composure, I shot Malfoy a glare, walking ahead, far out of reach from his hands. Running down the stairs, I could hear Malfoy shout angrily for me to wait up, but I ignored him. I turned left, aiming to reach the class before him.

"Where are you going? Defence is this way?" Malfoy asked sounding genuinely confused. I froze, turning around. He gave off a girlish sort of giggle.

"Shut it," I snapped as I stormed past him, blushing madly. He was laughing the rest of the way.

* * *

Hermione giggled as I stabbed my veal steak with my fork. We were having dinner, and she had decided to sit at the Hufflepuff table today. Being Hufflepuffs, we didn't mind.

"And because he distracted me," I grumbled, jabbing the poor mishandled steak, "I completely forgot Persephone in the classroom! I had to run back and get her when Professor Quirrel asked why I wasn't wearing my tie," Sam grinned at the memory.

"I've never seen anyone run faster," She giggled, eating some baked potatoes. Wayne grinned as well.

"Anyhow, it seems that Persephone isn't leaving your side anymore," He mused, looking at the little owl sitting on my shoulder. I leaned my head to the side, smiling at the fluffiness.

"She loves me," I said contently. Megan laughed at my expression. She flicked her dark brown hair out her face once again.

"Ready for potions?" She asked. I felt excitement brewing up inside me. Next to me, Hermione grimaced.

"I had potions on Monday. Professor Snape is really strict, and creepy," She said. "When he looks at you, its like he's reading your mind," The others laughed at the prospect. I felt the colour drain from my face.

"Oh no," I groaned, slamming my head on the table. Persephone gave off an indignant shriek, hopping over on my head. Wayne reached over, poking me.

"Oi! What's wrong with you?" He asked. I barely heard him. My mind had gone into panic mode, the muscles in my arms tensing. Snape could read minds. How could I have forgotten? He'd find out my secret, and it would be all over for me! Didn't Y.F. warn me not to let _anyone_ know?

"Lily!" I heard someone say, and felt a tapping on my head. I took a deep breath, composing myself, and sat up. Persephone let out another hoot, and fluttered back onto my shoulder. It was amazing how stubborn my little owl was. Megan was looking at me, concerned. "You okay?" She asked. I nodded, putting up a smile. If Snape tried to read my mind, I'd just have to confuse him!

"Hey guys, its almost time for class!" Edward suddenly yelped, checking his watch. We scrambled to our feet, grabbing out bags.

"See you later Hermione!" Sam called as we rushed away to the dungeons. Hermione stood there for a bit baffled, before she beamed at us, waving energetically. I smiled, happy for her. We rushed down the stony steps to the dungeons, the air around us getting colder with every step we took.

"Why does it have to be all the way down here?" Wayne panted, leaning on the wall next to the door to the potions classroom.

"Because potions have to be brewed and stored at cool temperatures," Megan chastised him. Sam nodded, whacking him over the head. Apparently, she liked doing that. I looked around, a sudden thought occurring to me.

"The Slytherin common room should be around here somewhere," I mused. The others looked at me, confused. Suddenly, I was attacked from behind, the person's heavy weight pushing me to the ground.

"Lily! We've got potions together!" I heard a familiar voice exclaim excitedly. I twisted around, smiling at Sally, who grinned. "Hi!" She said to the others as she got up. "I'm Sally-Anne Perks! Call me Sally!"

"I met her during Transfiguration," I explained at the others' horrified expressions. Sally was quite hyper, but I was used to it. She reminded me of one of my best friends back home.

"Let's go!" Wayne exclaimed, bursting open the door to the classroom. We filed in, sitting down in pairs, waiting for the lesson to begin. I was sitting with Megan, Sam and Wayne behind us, Sally and Edward to our left. Soon, the rest of our houses entered the room, and all twenty of us sat there patiently. Finally, professor Snape walked in from his office. I studied him, a bit disappointed that he didn't look more like the actor portraying him in the movies. Still, the description in the books fit.

"Welcome," He ominously said, his voice barely audible. "To your first class in potions. I would give you my carefully prepared speech, but I after my lesson with the rest of you all yesterday, I have come to the conclusion that you're all as dense as I believed. Now," He turned to the board. Several of the Ravenclaws looked crestfallen, and I my little mental persona started whacking Snape on the head. I imagined Snape being hit by the gigantic mallet in my mental persona's hand, and falling to the floor, unconscious and bleeding. A smile spread over my face at that. Over at the board, Snape had just finished writing down the instructions for a cure for boils. I knew it quite well, since I had practiced it several times on Pottermore, all with abysmal results. There was one difference though. First, we had to fill up our cauldrons one fourth of the way with water.

"You will have the rest of the class time to work on this," He snapped, before disappearing back into his office. We all stared at the board for a bit. I sighed, going over to the student cupboards, pulling out my cauldron and my ingredients from the shelf with my name under it. I looked at the label, wondering if Snape took the time to do this himself, or not. Shrugging it off, I went back to the table. Staring at the supplies lying in front of me, I realized that this would be quite different than on the computer. Still, I tried to arrange everything like I had seen it on Pottermore, to make things easier for me. Everyone lined up by the sink, filling water into his or her cauldron. My pewter cauldron felt quite heavy, and I was panting by the time I'd returned to my table.

"How the bloody hell do you use this?" Megan asked next to me, staring at the magical double stove we'd be heating the potion on. I looked at it, chuckling. This was getting more like Pottermore by the minute.

"Red one is for a big flame, yellow one for a small flame, blue one to turn the flame off," I explained. "You'll see the temperature on the thermometer over here," I told her, pointing to a glass thermometer on the side of the stove. She looked at me, surprised and grateful at the same time. I loosened the chord to the sachet containing the snake fangs. However, I tugged a little too hard, and the fangs spilled everywhere. Megan bent down, helping me gather them back up. "Thanks," I muttered. I picked out six, and dropped them in the mortar, taking the pestle to crush them. By the time I had gotten them into a fine powder, my arms were really sore.

"This is so tiring," Megan whined. I snorted, too tired to laugh. I dropped four scoops of the crushed fangs into my potion, before putting it onto the stove, and turning on the large flame. I carefully watched as the thermometer rose, switching over to a low flame as it rose to my target temperature of 250˚. Counting to ten seconds, I quickly turned off the flame, taking my cauldron from the flame. I then tapped it with my wand, watching sparks run along the cauldron edge. Checking the board, I sighed, leaning back.

"Now, we've got to wait," I groaned, setting the timer. Megan sighed, leaning back as well. We had forty-five minutes to kill while the potion fermented. At the end, it should take on a pale violet tone. Megan and I spent most of the time chatting, doodling on some spare parchment or reading in the potions book. Finally, the timer gave off a little ring. Persephone, who was falling asleep again on my bag, stirred a little bit at the sound, before nodding off again. I ran a finger over her tiny head, causing her to hoot softly. Stretching, I braced myself for the finish. Just like it had been described in the book, my potion had a smooth lavender look. Checking on Megan, I realized, with a terrified jolt, that her potion had a grey-pink look to it.

"Uh, Meg…" I said, looking at her potion. She looked at me quizzically, and then stared at her potion. She then grinned, shrugging it off. Snape was perusing through the classroom, looking in every other cauldron. He peered in mine, and I held my breath. He only gave a disapproving sound when he spotted Persephone, before moving on. Next to me, Megan didn't seem to have noticed. She'd stuck her wand behind her ear, her hair up and away from her face, and her tongue sticking out of her mouth in concentration. Cautiously, I checked the instructions several times, picking up four horned slugs with a bit of a disgusted expression. They were long, slimy, and were still moving for some reason. I dropped them in the cauldron, my stomach doing a flip at the sickening plop. Checking the instructions _again_, I added two porcupine quills to the mixture, staring at they fizzled out of existence. Calmly, I picked up my stirring spoon, stirring five times clockwise like it had been suggested. The potion had a beautiful dark violet look to it. Tapping the cauldron with my wand, I watched in fascination as the violet receded slightly, the potion turning blue. Exactly like it was supposed to.

"Thank you Pottermore," I sighed, relieved as I put a little in a vial, carefully putting on the stopper and labelling it. My heart was ready to burst. I had done it! My very first potion was a success! I prepared a few extra vials, just in case, and waved my wand, watching contently as the potion evaporated. Just as I did so, I watched as the table suddenly began shaking. I turned my head so quickly to my left, my neck crackled. Megan was gaping at her potion, horrified. It was a dark green, smoke coming from it as it bubbled so ferociously that the cauldron was shaking. She met my eyes, gaping like a fish.

"RUN FOR COVER!" We shrieked simultaneously, diving under the table. Persephone stared at us, perplexed as we joined her under the table, with me clutching my precious vials to my chest. Not a moment later, a loud bang rocked out table, deafening us. Dark green goo splattered tables, people, and mostly the ceiling. It slowly dripped off the table around us. Megan and I looked at Wayne and Sam's expression, and burst out laughing. Professor Snape was less amused.

"Idiot!" He snapped at Megan as we carefully got out from underneath the table. The slime was all over the table. Megan and I only laughed louder.

"Sorry Professor! I think I forgot to tap the cauldron before letting it germinate for forty-five minutes," Megan snickered. I grinned, shaking my head as I placed my vials on the table. Professor Snape was seething.

"You! Why didn't you tell her?" he snarled at me. My head whipped up, my eyes coldly meeting his. I didn't care if he could read my mind now or not.

"With all due respect, _sir,_" I said coolly. "I did alert her to the fact that her potion looked strange, but at that point, there was nothing to be done. Its not like we can _turn back time_," I said, emphasizing the last words. How _dare_ he talk to me like that! My pride getting the better of me, I raised my chin. "And my _name_ is Lily Moon, thank you very much," My stomach dropped, and I mentally whacked myself as Snape's eyes narrowed. What the _hell_ did I just do?

"Well, Ms. Moon," Snape said just as coolly as I had spoken. "Two points from Hufflepuff for your cheek," I didn't know whether to be upset that I had lost two points, or grin that I had lost the same amount of points as Harry, and basically for the same reason.

"Thank you Professor," I said, smiling up at him. Snape turned away, ignoring me. The rest of the lesson mainly consisted of Megan and I scrubbing the floor, getting rid of all the slime. We left the classroom after everyone else, Persephone fluttering around my head. I smiled up at my little owl, reaching up and tickling her stomach as she past me by.

"Ms. Moon," Professor Snape suddenly said, appearing behind us. Megan coughed, having choked on her spit at his sudden appearance. I felt my heart sink at the calculating look on Snape's face. "A word," I nodded at Megan, and she hurried ahead, sending me a concerned look over shoulder. Persephone flew around the cool dungeon hallway, hooting contently.

"Yes sir," I said calmly, trying to keep my sudden nervousness from showing. If he had discovered my secret, I was more than screwed. Snape looked at me, narrowing his eyes.

"Ms. Moon, I don't appreciate my students openly testing my authority," he warned me. I flushed, looking at the floor in shame. Tears were pricking my eyes, but I suppressed them angrily. It was an automatic reaction to getting told off that I had developed when I was very young. I still hadn't managed to get over it.

"I'm sorry sir," I said, genuinely regretful. Snape made a content sound, and I looked up to see him smirking, much to my confusion.

"Be sure to never do so again. You wouldn't want me as you _enemy_," He sneered. "After all, _your safety cannot be assured if anyone finds out the truth,"_ With that, he turned around, disappearing into the darkness of the potions classroom. For a moment, I stood there, his words sinking into my mind. He knew. I had remembered the warnings from Y.F. when I had looked Snape in the eyes, knowing he was a Legilimens. A sudden feeling of nausea washed over me. I felt cold as I turned on my heel, my footsteps resounding loudly through the empty hall as I ran. Persephone soared behind me, trying to catch up. I felt tears of fear welling up inside me, and I choked back as sob as I flew up the stairs, stumbling a little.

"Oi! Moon, watch it!" I heard Malfoy shout, and spared him a glance as I rushed past him. His face was one of shock as he noticed the tears running down my cheeks. I ignored him, turning around the corner to continue running.

"Perse!" I shouted at Persephone, and the owl caught up to me quickly as I ran down the hall. My sides where aching as I blindly dashed to the common room entrance. I halted, panting, tapping the entrance password, before clambering up the passage. Persephone was hooting in annoyance as she fluttered behind me. Composing myself a little, I ignored my friends as they called to me, instead climbing through the door to the dorms, Persephone now settled on my shoulder. Keeping my back straight, and my head raised, I walked to my dorm, and went into the bathroom, locking the door. Only then did I let myself break down.

**A/N: Bit of depressing ending, huh? I love little Persephone throughout the whole chapter! She's so cute! :3 As for my little potion, at first I wanted Lily to mess up on it, but then I brewed a perfect 'Cure for Boils' potion today on Pottermore for the first time, and I was so excited I let Lily brew it perfectly. I wrote down the procedure, in case anyone was wondering. Well, I hope you enjoyed it. It's not as great as it could be, but I tried my best! A little drama was necessary, or else it would get boring. Writing about classes **_**is**_** boring. Period. If there are any mistakes, I apologize right now. I read through it, and I didn't notice anything really. Then again, I usually just skim/scan. So yeah, I'm sorry for any mistakes/inconsistencies! Next: Flying lessons, and the midnight duel!**

**~ClaireWalters**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. She's the one that wrote the books after all!**_

**A/N: And another chapter for all you crazy people reading this! :) I honestly love all of you! Thank you so much for every favourite, alert, and review! They make my stomach go all fuzzy! [Edit: Thank you Miri Penn, for pointing out my mistake!]**

**Chapter Six: From Flying to Fluffy**

The weeks passed quickly. I had begun to let my guard down, forgetting about the events that were going to happen, and just living my life as a Hogwarts student. I had even begun to forget about the fact that Snape knew my secret. However, nearly two weeks after the start of the semester, something happened that made me remember that I _wasn't_ _supposed to be here_.

"Can you believe it?" Sam shrieked, dancing around me. "We're going to learn how to _fly!"_ I stared at the notice on the bulletin board near the entrance to the passage out of the common room. A ray of sunshine broke through the clouds outside, illuminating the paper.

"Flying lessons," I sighed, regretfully. "Hey Meg, do we have flying lessons on the same day as the Gryffindors?" I asked. Megan looked up from studying the lesson times.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! See, today the Gryffindors and Slytherins have it in the late afternoon, when they have free time, while we have it in the mornings with the Ravenclaws," She explained. I sighed once again. That meant that Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Neville would find Fluffy tonight. Part of me wanted to go, but part of me told me to just let it rest and let the story play itself out. It wasn't my place to mess around with it.

"Well, whatever, lets go," I muttered, conflicted. Megan shot me a worried look, but I ignored her. By now, my friends and I had figured out how to get down the tunnel to the entrance, without falling and crashing to the floor outside. We slipped and slid down the earthy tunnel, and I pushed the barrel door open, holding it open for the others to climb out. We headed straight for the Great Hall, thinking about the flying lessons we had ahead of us.

"I wonder what its like to fly," Edward sighed. He was muggle-born like me. Meg and Sam were both purebloods, while Wayne was the only half-blood. Not that it really mattered to us.

"Oh, flying is _wonderful!"_ Megan sighed, smiling. "Gwen and I learned it when we were little," Sam pouted, crossing her arms. Wayne patted the blonde girl's head, laughing.

"My dad tried to teach me, but he's pretty bad at flying himself," Wayne grinned. "I kept falling off the broom, so my mum put an end to the lessons," I snickered at the mental image of a smaller Wayne falling sideways off a broom to the floor. Sam grinned at Wayne's story.

"Yeah, my parents were against me flying, because my mum fell off a broom when she was younger, and broke her leg," She explained. I grimaced.

"Sounds awful," Edward said, voicing my thoughts. I nodded, agreeing. Megan shrugged it off, opening the door to the Great Hall. Excited chatter hit our ears, and we winced.

"Right, Quidditch season," Wayne said, rubbing his ear. A rush of excitement flooded through me.

"That's right!" I exclaimed, suddenly looking forward to the flying lessons. It was _Quidditch_ season! I'd get to see a Quidditch game! Sam shot me a surprised look.

"You know what Quidditch is?" She asked me as we sat down at our table. I nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course!" I laughed. Edward looked lost.

"What's Quidditch?" He asked. Megan gave me a look, and I grinned at her, accepting the unspoken challenge.

"Quidditch is a popular sport in the Wizarding World," I told Edward. "It's like… like football," He nodded, understanding. "Anyway, Quidditch is played by two teams on brooms, with seven players on each team. There's a keeper, three chasers, two beaters, and a seeker. The keeper, that's Oliver Wood for the Gryffindor team, protects the three hoops. You have to imagine those plastic rings you blow bubbles from, only really big," Edward nodded again as I continued my explanation.

"What do the chasers do?" He asked. I thought about how I'd explain this to him.

"Okay, lets do it this way," I decided, "In Quidditch, there are four balls: The Quaffle, the two Bludgers, and the snitch. The Quaffle is a large, red ball that has no magical properties other than being enchanted to fall slowly when dropped, so that the chasers don't have to dive every time to catch it. The chasers fly around with the Quaffle, trying to get it into the goal posts. Each time they score, their team receives ten points," I took deep breath to continue my explanation. I realized that several people had turned to me, listening to me speak. I ignored them.

"Now, the Bludgers are enchanted to fly around in the air and knock people off their brooms. Those things _can_ be deadly, and I'm terrified of the idea of having them flying towards me. However, each team has two beaters. They fly around with these bats, and hit the Bludgers towards the opposing team, and away from their own teammates," Edward nodded, signalling her had understood. "Now my _favourite_ ball is the golden snitch. It's about the size of a walnut, and has little wings. It's _really _fast, and almost _impossible_ to see. Each team has a Seeker, who looks for, and tries to catch the snitch before the other team's seeker does. Catching the snitch gives your team one hundred-fifty points, and ends the game. Do you get it?" I asked. Edward blinked at me, before nodded. I turned back to my breakfast, grinning.

"Good," I sighed, putting some butter on my toast, and biting into it. I heard someone laugh behind me, and I turned around. I almost dropped my toast as I looked at the identically grinning faces of two Gryffindor redheads. No way…

"You know a lot about Quidditch," One of them said, nodding approvingly. I nodded slowly, unable to take my eyes off of them. They just couldn't possibly be…

"You even know that Wood is our keeper," The other said, looking at me thoughtfully. "Anyway, we're Fred and George Weasley, the beaters from Gryffindor," He held out his hand, and I stared at it for a bit. This was just… not possible. I felt a lump forming in my throat, and I tried to blink away the tears as I shook his hand. The twins looked at me, horrified to see I had tear-filled eyes.

"Oi! Are you crying?" One of them asked, shocked. I grinned at them.

"Nah, just tired," I said, waving it off. "I'm Lily Moon," I finally realized I had no clue who was who. "And by the way, I have no clue which one of you is Fred and which is George… and something tells me not to trust your answer," I said, deadpanning as one of them opened their mouth to clarify. The twins burst out laughing.

"You heard that Fred?" 'George' said to his twin. "She doesn't believe us!" 'Fred' snickered. I decided that this was the way I'd call them from now on. I dipped my finger in my ink-pot, which I had opened without their knowledge, and leaned over, poking 'Fred' in the forehead. They froze, gaping in horror at me. I grinned maliciously.

"I don't care if its right now not… you're Fred, and you're George to me," I said, turning back to my food. Behind me, the twins sat there, shell-shocked. I heard someone clap, and turned back around again, only to see a boy with dreadlocks looking at me approvingly.

"Lee Jordan," he introduced himself. "Their friend," I shook his hand, finding the entire situation surreal.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Lily," I said, not even bothering with my last name. It seemed as if he was about to ask me something when the owls swooped down upon us. I caught Persephone as she nose-dived down to me, a regular occurrence by now. My little owl had turned out to be very clingy, and usually stayed by my side during the day. The teachers had grown used to it by now, since she didn't disrupt class, and simply slept on my shoulder.

"Oh look! Gran sent me a remembrall!" I heard Neville exclaim, and I tensed. Giving the twins and Lee a quick smile, I turned back to my friends, glad for the excuse to turn away. As much as I found them amusing, it was hard for me to get to know the twins, knowing one of them would die. I watched as the commotion over Neville's remembrall played out, and stuck my tongue out at Malfoy as he walked past me, sulking. It had been a very confusing and exciting morning. I wondered what the rest of the day would be like.

* * *

"Welcome to your first flying lesson," Madam Hooch called out. The sun was shining down on us, with only a few clouds still in the sky. We were standing next to our designated brooms out on the school grounds. I listened as she explained what we had to do. I felt my fear of heights surface again, but I suppressed it, too excited to worry about it. I held my hand out above my broom.

"Up!" I commanded. The broom didn't budge. Next to me, Megan was grinning, her broom obeying her immediately. I shot her an annoyed look, to which she pulled a funny face. I laughed, turning back to my broom with a grin. "Up!" I said good-naturedly. I was conflicted, wanting to fly, and wanting to stay on the ground. The broom flew up a little, twisted, and fell back to the floor. I calmed my nerves down, thinking about what Harry had mused about in the first book. No way was I letting my phobia stop me from flying. "Up!" I said a last time. The broom trembled a little, before flying up into my hand. I smiled triumphantly at Megan, who smiled back at me.

"Good," Madam Hooch said, clapping her hands once. Her hawk-like eyes looked at all of us. "Now, let me show you how to sit on your broom without sliding off," She said. Walking down the rows, she corrected out grips, and I felt a little awkward standing there. My wrists were beginning to hurt from the strain of holding them in the same position for such a long time. My nervousness was returning as butterflies, but I couldn't quell my excitement. On Madam Hooch's whistle, I gently kicked off the ground. The broom did exactly as I wanted it too, flying a little off the ground. It felt so strange to be sitting on a broom, your feet simply dangling in midair. I looked at the ground below, and gulped. It was frightening but exciting at the same time. I copied Megan's movements, and leaned forward, tilting the nose of the broom down slightly. The broom glided down, and I sighed, feeling ground beneath my feet once again. Madam Hooch grinned. She spent the next few minutes teaching us the basics: how to turn, how to change your speed, and how to go higher and lower. Then she let us have our freedom, of flying, as long as we didn't go higher than the roof of the great hall, didn't pull any stunts, and didn't leave her sight.

"This is so cool!" I told Megan as we flew next to each other on the level of the top of one of Hogwarts' walls. Megan flashed me a bright grin.

"I told you that flying is awesome!" She laughed. I joined her, and slowed my broom to a crawl, enjoying the view. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Megan asked. I nodded.

"I'm so glad I could come here," I sighed, relieved. Sunlight glittered off the Black Lake, and I smiled, remembering about the merpeople living in the depths.

"Race you over to Sam!" Megan suddenly exclaimed, leaning forward to speed up. I gaped as she shot off, annoyance washing over me.

"Hey! Don't just fly off like that!" I yelped, leaning forward to fly after her. I grinned as the wind whipped through my hair, and I pulled my broom to a halt next to my friends, who were waiting for me on the ground. I toppled down next to them, laughing.

"Flying is kind of scary," Sam admitted as we went to return the brooms to Madam Hooch. I sighed.

"Well, it's not for everyone," I said, shrugging. "Personally, I _love_ it!" Megan and I high-fived, placing out brooms on the floor like Madam Hooch had told us to. My little group and I walked back to the castle, laughing, and chatting the entire time about flying.

* * *

That evening, we were sitting near the fireplace once again, doing out homework. Megan was stretched out on the floor, biting the tip of her quill, with Sam using the girl's back as a pillow to read. Wayne was leaning against the armchair I had curled up in, Edward using Wayne's legs as a support for his parchment. In her portrait, Helga was leaning against her frame, smiling as she watched us work.

"Hey, what are two ways to transform a mouse into a box?" I asked. Megan looked up briefly from her work, shrugging.

"Look on page two-hundred sixty-six," She said. I nodded, flipping through my heavy book. Edward checked the time, and let out a low curse.

"It's time to go," He sighed. "it's already eight," Sam closed her book, sighing.

"I'm so sore from flying," She muttered, groaning as she got up. Megan yawned, shuffling all her papers together.

"Speaking of flying, did you hear about the Gryffindor and Slytherin lesson?" Megan asked. They looked at her, eager to know. I didn't really care, since I already knew what was going to happen. "Apparently, Harry and Malfoy got into a scuffle, and Harry's now the seeker for Gryffindor!"

"No way!" Wayne exclaimed. "First years can't be on the team!" Megan nodded solemnly.

"I heard that they were going to have a duel tonight," Edward yawned. Sam chuckled.

"Well, good luck to them," She said. "I'm going to bed," We parted ways with the boys, and climbed into the door to the dorms.

"I wonder if they'll get caught," Megan mused. I shook my head.

"Probably not. Malfoy's too chicken to have an actual duel, and no doubt Harry and Ron are going to evade the teachers," I rolled my eyes. Sam and Megan snickered at my comment. Despite knowing that I shouldn't interfere with the story, I couldn't go to sleep that night. Finally, when it was nearing eleven o'clock, I sat up in my bed, huffing. Trying to be as silent as possible, I got up, pulling on my bathrobe, and taking my wand. I heard Megan stir, and froze, hoping she wouldn't wake up. I sighed in relief, as she turned in her sleep, ignorant to what I was going to do. Outside in the hall, the torches had been extinguished, and it was pitch black. I closed the door to my dorm, swallowing down my panic as I was surrounded by nothing but darkness.

"Lumos," I whispered, hoping that the spell would work. So far, we hadn't really learnt any spells, and I had only read about them in theory. Much to my delight, the tip of my wand began glowing silvery, and I walked down the darkened hallway to the girl's dorm door. "Nox" I whispered, doing the swishing motions I had secretly practiced, and the light went out. I felt thrilled, never having preformed magic outside of class. I tiptoed through the moonlit common room, grinning sheepishly as Helga Hufflepuff looked at me sternly, crossing her arms. Climbing down the dark passage, I let out a sigh of relief as I climbed out the barrel door. Now, all I had to do was find those Gryffindors. I didn't dare light my wand, no matter how dark it was. Tiptoeing barefoot through the castle, I shivered. The floor was _so cold!_

"Damnit! Why did I do this again?" I whispered to myself, annoyed. There was no turning back now anyway. I climbed up several stairs, trying to find the portrait of the fat lady. To my right, I heard someone scuffling, and quickly hid behind a statue. Much to my alarm, Mrs. Norris and Filch walked by me, and I hid myself further in the shadows of the statue.

'_Oh, why was I stupid enough to do this?'_ I mentally groaned. The duo turned the corner, and I let out the breath I was holding. I rushed along the hall, running up a pair of stairs. Suddenly, I let out a muffled shriek as I crashed into someone, both of us toppling to the floor. I quickly lit my wand, and gaped at whom I had bumped into.

"Lily?" Neville whimpered, looking at me surprised. "What are you doing up here?" I sighed, relieved that I had made it.

"Neville," I whispered, extinguishing my wand. 'Thank Merlin you're still here," He looked at me, confused, but I refused to answer his question. Just at that moment, the portrait opened, and three people climbed out. I heard Hermione hiss at Harry and Ron, furious. Quickly, I got up, running away to hide in the shadows. The trio froze, and stumbled upon Neville. I heard them talk, and watched from the shadows as they made their way down to the trophy room. I followed them, stalking them through the school. Watching the movies had been nothing compared to watching this live. Plus, for a strange reason that I couldn't explain, I was drawn to being part of the main events in the plot. Silently, I pondered that, wondering if this was a side effect of whatever had brought me here. After all, I was supposed to _live_ the books, not just run around doing something completely irrelevant to the story. I peeked out from behind a shelf in the trophy room, wondering how I'd sneak out when Filch would arrive.

"They're in here somewhere my sweet," Filch's gnarly voice called through the trophy room, making me freeze. I heard Mrs. Norris meow, and backed off, spotting her coming my way through the shelf. I backed off slowly, trying to get out of the door before Neville crashed into the suit of armour. No such luck was on my side, and I crashed into someone, tumbling backwards with them. There was a loud crash as the armour collapsed between Neville and my combined weight.

"Run!" Harry shouted, and I threw caution in the wind, pulling Neville along behind me as we raced along the corridors. We turned a corner, panting as we ran straight through a tapestry, down what I assumed was a secret passage. Next thing we knew, we were standing in the Charms corridor. We stopped to catch our breath, Neville bending over, looking ready to pass out.

"I think we lost him," Harry panted, wiping his forehead as he leant against the wall.

"I- told - you," Hermione gasped. I shook my head, panting.

"Not - the right - moment," I wheezed. Everyone turned to look at me, surprised.

"Lily?" Hermione looked confused. I waved her off, pointing down the hall. Everyone turned to stare, horrified. Peeves looked at us, malice in his eyes.

"Ickle Firsties! Out of bed?" He giggled, obviously amused. "Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty!" I grimaced as he used a line straight out of the book.

"Shut up Peeves!" Harry begged. "Please, we'll only get thrown out!" I rolled my eyes. It was like I wasn't even _here!_ Wait… no… that was a good thing!

"I should go get Filch!" Peeves cackled. "I say you'll be better off that way!" My brow furrowed at that. Peeves hadn't said that in the book, had he? I couldn't remember clearly.

"Get out of the way!" Ron exclaimed, taking a swipe at Peeves. I felt my face relax. Everything was fine. Nothing had been changed, or at least, nothing _significant._

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" I jumped as Peeves suddenly gave off a loud shout. We ran for it, ducking under Peeves until we came to a door.

"Oh no!" Ron yelped, pushing against it. "It's locked!" Hermione let out an angry hiss, pulling out Harry's wand.

"Move over!" She snapped at the redhead, pointing the wand at the lock. Briefly, I wondered why the wand worked so well with her. "Alohomora!" The lock sprang open, and we dashed inside, closing the door behind us. Outside, Filch was arguing with Peeves. However, I _knew_ what was inside this room, and stared at Fluffy with horror-filled eyes. I wasn't good with dogs on a normal basis, but this. Was. Insane.

"Harry…" Neville squeaked, tugging at Harry's sleeve. Harry slowly turned, and we all stared at the growling, three-headed dog before us. I was ready to burst out into song right there, but that would ruin the plot. The rest of the night passed as a blur. One minute, I was staring Fluffy straight in the eye, and the next thing I knew, I was standing in front of the fat lady's portrait, bidding the trio and Neville a good night. Hastily, I stumbled down the many stairs, trying to find my way to the Great Hall. I got lost so many times, I began to wonder if maybe someone would find me tomorrow, wandering around in my bathrobe. I was walking down some corridor, completely lost, when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I froze, terrified.

"Well, Ms. Moon," I heard someone chuckle. "Would you care to explain why you were out so late?" I slowly turned, and nearly did a double take. Of all the people to find me, I was caught by _Dumbledore! _

"Er… Good Morning, Professor?" I asked, flushing in embarrassment. Dumbledore smiled at me, looking over his half-moon glasses.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" he asked, smiling. I blushed deeper.

"Uh… yeah… sort of…" I stammered. Professor Dumbledore smiled.

"Good," he said, turning around to walk away. "I would suggest you go back to bed and catch some sleep. Midnight escapades always make the mind very tired," I watched him walk off, staring at him. He briefly turned around, as if he had remembered something. "Oh! And take the next staircase down. You'll find yourself exactly where you want to be,"

"Seriously?" I muttered, mystified. "I don't even get in trouble? Dumbledore sure is crazy," I smiled as I followed Dumbledore's instruction, thinking about what a crazy night it had been.

**A/N: Wow! Such a quick chapter! I felt the need to have Dumbledore appear towards the end. He seems like the type of guy to pull a stunt like that. Again, my apologies for any errors, they weren't intentional. Well, hope you liked it!**

**~ClaireWalters**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **_**Harry Potter**_** belongs to JK Rowling .**

_**A/N: Here's the next chapter! I hope it's not too bad!**_

**Chapter Seven: All Hallows' Eve**

Here at Hogwarts, I had become increasingly aware of just how _quickly_ time passed. One moment, I was being lectured by Sam about sneaking out after hours, and the next, we were already celebrating Hermione's twelfth birthday, giving her twelve inkpots of different colours, because we just couldn't afford anything else. Classes became increasingly harder as the first month flew by, and soon I had figured out which classes I liked, and which ones were a waste of time. Quirrel's lessons, for example, were right up there with History of Magic as my top two least favourite classes. In contrast, I enjoyed Herbology and Charms, with Transfiguration close behind. Astronomy was interesting, but I usually fell asleep during the midnight lessons. To my luck, the morning of Halloween, I had my all time favourite class: Potions.

"Miss Jones, please explain how you managed to melt _another_ cauldron?" Snape sneered, looking at the messy pile in front of Megan. I snickered, turning back to my potions book, determined to get this potion right. Despite what Professor Snape continuously hinted at, I was surprisingly good at Potions, and only messed up occasionally. So far, I had never managed to melt a cauldron, a fact that made me _very_ proud.

"Oi Lily! How do you crush this?" Megan asked, turning to me with a grin. I rolled my eyes, pulling her already mangled porcupine quills out of the mortar.

"Don't act like an idiot," I muttered. "I don't know why you constantly _try_ to mess up!" I shot her an exasperated look as she simply laughed. Even though she _always_ managed to ruin her potions, I had discovered that Megan actually knew what she was doing. From a young age, Megan had helped her mother make simple potions and the like. Here, she didn't take the classes seriously, and took extra care to make her potion as horrible as she could. It was extremely frustrating.

"Oh well," Megan shrugged. She dumped the porcupine quills in her cauldron, even though we weren't even using them. Currently, we were trying to brew a simple herbicide, but Megan was, _once again_, not even trying. I rolled my eyes, scooping two measures of the standard ingredient into the mortar.

"Well, at least this one doesn't have a conspiracy behind it," I muttered, annoyed. Megan laughed louder, remembering the disastrous lesson where we were allowed to try out whatever potion we wanted. I had decided to give the Sleeping Draught a shot, and had failed miserably. No matter how closely I followed the instructions, somehow it always turned green and smelly. In the end, I gave up, and did another Cure for Boils, pouting the entire time.

"Too true," Megan said, watching as I tapped my wand to my cauldron, having completed the first steps of the potion with ease. I stretched as the electric current ran over the brim, before clearing away the ingredients, and pulling out my transfiguration essay. Sticking my wand in the messy bun I'd put my hair into, I looked over what I had written so far. The essay had to do with the four forms of transfiguration: Transformation, Vanishment, Conjuration and Untransfiguration. Since we were only first years, we were going over the theories of the four subtypes, instead of really _learning_ about them.

"Can you _believe_ we have to write four feet for that?" Sam suddenly whispered behind me, causing me to jump a little. I shot her a dark look as my potion, which was supposed to not be moved, sloshed a little in the cauldron. She grinned sheepishly at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"It's fine," I muttered, gesturing towards the potion, before turning back to the parchment. "I guess its one subtype per foot?" I thought out loud. Behind me, Sam rolled her eyes at Edward.

"Sometimes you talk like you're a fifth-year," the blonde girl muttered. "Honestly, _subtype?"_ I scowled, mentally cackling evilly.

"Anyways, concentrate on your own work," I suggested, turning back to my essay. '_Not quite true,' _I thought, calculating it out. If I had been in my time, I would have been in the last few weeks of fourth year.

"I wonder what the feast is going to be like!" Megan exclaimed next to me. I smiled at her excitement, before scowling at the thought of the Halloween Feast. Stupid Ron! I told him to be nicer to Hermione! I shook my head, clearing away my thoughts. I'd find out soon enough if it had actually happened. For now, I had to work on the essay, before finishing my potion.

* * *

"That bastard!" Wayne growled, shaking his fist at Ron's back. "How dare he make my friend cry!" I rolled my eyes, chuckling at their reactions. True enough, on our way up to the feast, we'd overheard Parvati telling Lavender about Hermione. A few paces ahead of us, Harry and Ron were walking, completely oblivious to the seething Hufflepuffs behind them. Through the doors, the delicious smell of food was blocking out senses as we tried to press through the crowd and get to our table. The moment everyone had settled down, the food appeared, almost out of thin air. I grabbed a plate full of food and sweets, getting up.

"Where are you going?" Megan asked as I made my way towards the entrance. I turned around, blinking at her. A couple people were watching me, including a few Professors from the teacher's table. I ignored them.

"I'm going to go give this to Hermione. She'll be hungry," I shrugged. My friends nodded, and I walked away, snatching up a second set of cutlery from the Gryffindor table as I did. The Hallways were cold and empty as I walked along them. Out here, the warmth of the feast seemed miles away. Hopefully, I'd get back to the Great Hall before Quirrel burst in. "Maybe I should have memorized the chapters," I muttered, my memory of the order of events on Halloween kind of fuzzy. I'd last read the first book almost three months ago. Eventually, I managed to find the girl's bathroom that Hermione had obviously hidden herself in. Opening the door, I grinned as I heard her soft sobs.

"Hermione!" I called softly, and the sobs turned to the occasional hiccup. The door to the stall she'd locked herself into opened and she stared at me, obviously surprised that someone had gone to find her.

"Lily," She said, her voice hoarse from crying. "What are you doing here?" I rolled my eyes, moving the plate around in my hands.

"It's kind of gross to eat in a bathroom, but hey, food is food, right?" I walked into the bathroom, the door closing behind me. I could see the hunger in Hermione's eyes, and her stomach gave a little growl as she eyed the food. I handed her the plate and cutlery, taking off my robe, and setting it on the floor. We ate in silence for a bit with my robe acting as a sort of picnic blanket, the air still heavy with Hermione's recent crying session.

"Thank you," She finally said softly, as she ate a little bit more of the baked potatoes I'd brought. It wasn't a lot of food, but it was enough for now. I shrugged, unwrapping a lollipop I had found interesting, sticking it in my mouth.

"No pro'lem," I said through my lollipop, causing Hermione to giggle. I grinned at her, popping the lollipop out of my mouth.

"My parents are going to kill me if I get cavities," Hermione snickered, unwrapping a sweet. I grinned, remembering that her parents were dentists.

"Don't get cavities then," I said. She grinned back at me. As we soon found out, it was much colder in the bathroom than it was the Great Hall, causing our food to go cold much quicker. Suddenly, Hermione got up, stretching.

"All right, I'll go down to the Feast with you," She resolved. "Let me get my bag," I nodded, getting up, and dumping the cold food in the trash. Putting the plate in the sink for now, I grabbed my robe, shaking it out. I shivered with only my uniform on, but a glance at my robe told me I'd have to endure the cold. I was _not_ walking around with spaghetti stains on my back.

"Hurry up!" I called to Hermione, who let out a small cry of frustration.

"My bag's stuck!" She whined. I rolled my eyes, throwing my robe on the sink, and peeking in to see what Hermione's problem was. The shoulder strap of her bag had somehow gotten wrapped around a pipe.

"Oh, move over!" I sighed, forcefully pushing past her, and unwrapping the strap. Hermione squeaked, before toppling out of the stall. I walked out, holding the bag in my hand. She grinned up at me sheepishly, still sitting on the floor. Suddenly, a foul smell wafted over to us. Hermione looked momentarily confused, but her face cleared into an expression of horror as she stared at whatever was behind me. I froze as I heard the lock turning.

"Lily," Hermione whispered, getting up. She reached out to grab my wrist, and slowly backed off, pulling me behind her. I followed her numbly, my mind going over all possible escape routes. The back of my neck began to prickle, and I shuddered as I heard something shuffling towards us. I didn't want to turn around. I already knew what I'd see anyway. Panic was starting to build inside my chest, and I dared a glance in the mirror. It all happened in less than a second. My eyes flashed over to the reflection, my heart momentarily stopping at the sight of the troll standing only a few feet away, its club raised. At that moment, the troll swung down its spiked club. Hermione screamed, nearly bursting my eardrums, and yanked me over to her, slamming me against the wall. The club smashed into the tile floor just where I had stood a moment earlier. Stomach acid burned up my throat as I realized with a jolt that, had Hermione not reacted quickly enough, I would be dead right now. The troll stood there, those fiendish little eyes staring down at us. Through a haze of fear, I faintly registered the key turning in the lock. The Troll gave off a loud roar, smashing the stalls and a nearby wall in rage. Then suddenly, Harry and Ron were there.

"Distract it!" Harry yelled to his red-haired friend, picking up a pipe and smashing it against the wall. The troll froze, turning its head towards the sound. Ron picked up on what Harry was trying to do, and threw objects at the wall. Sound drilled into my head, shaking me from inside out. Harry used the momentary distraction to run over to us.

"Come on!" He gasped, tugging at Hermione's sleeve. She, however, was pressed against the wall, mouth agape in horror. I turned to Harry, and tried to say something, but my voice failed me. He grabbed my wrist, yanking me off my feet. The sudden motion knocked sense back into me, and a flood of adrenaline rushed through me.

"Harry! Hermione! Hufflepuff girl! Hurry up!" Ron yelled, adding more confusion to the noisy room. Sound waves bounced off all walls. The troll howled in anguish, frantically waving its spiked club around. It smashed mirrors and walls, tiles flying everywhere. I pulled Harry back against the wall, to avoid having the Hero of the story smashed to bits in his first year. That would have been just a _tad_ pathetic. The troll seemingly gathered its wits, and with a guttural roar lunged at Ron, who let out a high-pitched shriek. With a yell, Harry launched himself forward, throwing himself around the troll's neck. As the boys wrestled with the troll, I turned around, slapping Hermione hard on the cheek. Her head whipped to the side, and I momentarily felt bad for hurting her. However, it seemed that it had worked. She gave a little twitch, and was suddenly on full alert.

"Ron! Do something!" She yelled across the room. Ron scrambled with his robes, trying to find his wand. I stood there, almost stupefied as I wondered were my wand was. In the meantime, Ron had pulled out his wand, and said the magical words.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" He called, doing the pretty wrist movement we'd been learning for the past week. The troll's club hovered in mid-air as it lost its grip, and Harry let himself drop, scrambling back over to his red-haired friend. The mountain troll looked up, surprised, only to have a spiked club smash into its face. The four of us winced as a sickening crack echoed through the room. The club tumbled to the ground, bouncing onto the ground near the remains of the stalls. The troll stood there for a bit, swaying, before it crashed full length at Harry and Ron's feet. Dust flew through the air, settling on our hair and clothes.

"Is it dead?" Hermione asked, inching forward. No one answered her. Harry walked forward, pulling his wand from the troll's nostril. I hadn't even noticed it was there.

"Ew! Troll boogers!" Harry retched, wiping it on the troll's trousers. I snickered slightly, the fear and adrenaline making the whole thing kind of funny.

"I'm surprised your wand didn't smash when it was hit with a club," I commented. Harry blanched at the idea. Ron stood there, his wand in the air, still amazed at what he had done. Hermione walked past me, tugging at my robe, which was lying between piles of smashed sinks. I grimaced, and suddenly realized why I was here again.

"Oi, I still want to talk to you two!" I suddenly yelped, looking at Harry and Ron. The two of them shared a worried glance, obviously reading my mind. They looked at the floor, the shame written on their faces.

"Yeah, about that…" Ron trailed off, lowering his wand. He didn't get to finish the statement, as the Professors rushed into the bathroom. Quirrel let out a whimper, stumbling to a toilet, and sitting down, a hand on his heart. I sent him a dirty look, which went quite unnoticed by pretty much everyone.

"What happened here?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, her lips in a straight white line. Her face was ashen, and I realized she had a look of wild panic in her eyes. "You three? Why aren't you in your common rooms?" Her eyes flashed over to me, and I nervously tugged at my school skirt, feeling awkward under her imploring eyes. "And Miss Moon, why are you not wearing your school robe?" Harry and Ron looked over to me, surprised. Apparently, they hadn't noticed that I was waltzing around looking like a muggle schoolgirl.

"Long story," I said, blushing bright red. Hermione pulled out my robe, and quickly shoved it in my arms. We gave each other a quick glance, but didn't say anything. Professor McGonagall looked at us all, the panic in her eyes turning to fury.

"Will _someone _please explain what on _earth_ you all were thinking?" She called, looking _very_ upset. I winced slightly, tears prickling into my eyes. Professor Snape was bent over the troll, inspecting our work. He probably just didn't want to get involved.

"Please, Professor – Harry and Ron were looking for me," Hermione finally whispered, not even a hint of a lie in her voice. Professor McGonagall's head whipped over, and she gazed at Hermione like a cat ready to pounce.

"Miss Granger?" She asked, her voice almost a hiss. Hermione flinched away, backing off a little bit, but I stuck my foot out, stopping her from backing out.

"I thought I'd go looking for the troll," Hermione said, straightening a little bit. "Because, I've read all about them," She looked at the floor, an ashamed blush rising on her cheeks from lying to her teachers. "I'm sorry," Professor McGonagall snorted angrily, before looking at Harry and Ron, who miserably failed at trying to look convincing. Why didn't they just tell them the truth? I held my tongue, but was confused anyway.

"Is this true?" Professor McGonagall snapped, turning to Harry and Ron, who nodded. Professor Snape let out an annoyed huff, and backed off behind Professor McGonagall, his eyes flashing over to Harry.

"Yes, Professor, it is," I finally spoke up. Professor McGonagall jumped, seemingly having forgotten the Hufflepuff that was standing in the dusty bathroom.

"Well, Miss Moon. It seems that you have somehow been left out of this story completely! Why are _you_ here?" She snapped. I blinked, quickly formulating a cover-up lie that would make their story even more convincing. "As I remember, you left the Great Hall with a plate of food," I grimaced, having forgotten that little detail. This would require a lot of quick thinking.

"Well, Professor, you see, during the Feast today, my friends said something that upset me. I had just gotten my food, and didn't want to leave it to go cold, so I took it with me," I felt a grin coming on, and quickly suppressed it. My lie was sounding quite like the truth right now. "This is also why I'm not wearing my robe. You see, I decided to eat in here, because I remembered Hermione telling me she forgot her book bag in here. This way, I could return Hermione's bag to her later, without her going all the way here after the feast," There was a glimmer of humor in Hermione's eyes as she listened to my story, and I shot her a quick, silencing look. "I was about to head back, when the troll suddenly wandered in here. Soon after, Hermione followed, and she tried to rescue me, but instead got caught in the fray. Thankfully, Harry and Ron turned up, right before the troll finished us off. We'd both be dead if they hadn't," Professor McGonagall looked at us, not quite convinced.

"Miss Granger, you foolish girl," She finally sighed, her anger having diminished a bit after I had given Hermione a noble reason to go after the troll. "Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your actions. The same goes for you Miss Moon, five points from Hufflepuff for leaving the Feast without consent," I sighed, having resigned myself to this. "Now both of you go back to your Houses. The feast will be finished in the Common Rooms," Hermione grabbed her bag, and we quickly disappeared. Behind us, we faintly heard Professor McGonagall award Harry and Ron five points each.

"Thank you," Hermione said as we came across the staircase in front of the Great Hall. I shrugged, flashing her a bright grin.

"Hey, what're friends for, right?" I said. We parted ways, and I hurried down to the Hufflepuff Common Room, a dreadful sense of foreboding bubbling up inside me. When I spotted my friends waiting for me outside the door, I gave a sheepish little laugh. I would rather have an angry Professor McGonagall every day, than be given a lecture by my friends. With a sigh, I braced myself for the torrent of angry words coming towards me, smiling at them.

"Hey guys! How's the weather?" I tried. It didn't work quite like I had hoped. I gulped, my life flashing before my eyes as Sam turned seven shades of red.

_**A/N: So, I finally finished this chapter! It's almost a whole page shorter than usual, but I tried. Jeez, I never thought that writer's block could be so annoying! Not to mention my parents have basically banned me from using the computer. Oh well. That little bit about a 'conspiracy' regarding the Sleeping Draught is based off the fact that Pottermore is trolling me. No, my dear , I did not put the lavender in the wrong container! Well, I hope you enjoyed it! If I made any mistakes, please tell me!**_

_**~ClaireWalters**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: Same as always… I don't own Harry Potter.**_

**A/N: New Chapter! Sorry it took ages! Well, Enjoy!**

**Chapter Eight: Quidditch**

"Today's weather is cloudy, cold, with a minimal breeze," Megan announced proudly to the Great Hall during breakfast. She was standing on the table waving her goblet filled with pumpkin juice around with such vigour that it splashed a little on her robes. I was currently standing in the doorway, staring in shock as my best friend waltzed along the Hufflepuff table, an angry Professor McGonagall staring up at her.

"Miss Jones, stop this nonsense!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed. Megan, for once, didn't listen.

"The conditions today are perfect for Quidditch," She continued, dancing along the table. "So Gryffindor," She abruptly turned to the red and gold clad house. They were looking quite festive today. "Beat those Slytherins into the ground!" A cheer rose in the air as she raised her goblet triumphantly. Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor were all clapping at her little speech. Oh god… why was I friends with her? An embarrassed blush rising in my cheeks, I quickly walked over to Megan, yanking her off the table. Several people laughed at Megan's comical expression.

"You, come with me," I sighed, beginning to drag her out of the Hall.

"See you people at the game!" Megan called back to the people staring at us, waving to them like a little child. She was laughing by the time I had dragged her out of earshot off the hall. "You're no fun," She teased me, and I rolled my eyes, smiling despite myself.

"Just don't drag me into one of your little escapades," I told her. She grinned at me, hugging me as we walked down the corridors.

"Aw, but I know you'll always be there to help me," She sang. I rolled my eyes again, pushing her away. "Anyway, where are we going today?" Megan trilled.

"Student Store," I told her, pulling out my wallet. "My order of potion supplies arrived this morning. I have to go pick it up," Megan let out a sigh.

"Potions freak," She muttered under her break, and I smacked her on the shoulder. We turned a corner, and opened the door leading into the Student Supply Store. The old man behind the counter looked up, squinting a little against the bright light. It was really creepy in here. Everything was hidden in darkness, and there was a chilling dampness in the room. Megan and I simultaneously held out breaths, the sudden stench of moulding parchment, and rotting potions supplies that had never been picked up hitting us full on.

"Good morning, I came to pick up my order," I said, once I had dared to breathe again. The old man said nothing, merely pulling out a box, and showing it to me. I read my name on the front, and nodded, handing him the proper amount of galleons. He grinned toothily at me, a few of his teeth missing. I snatched up my packet, the back of my neck prickling.

"Bye!" Megan called behind us, closing the door. I shuddered as we made our way back down to the Hufflepuff common rooms.

"That guy is so creepy," I muttered to Megan, who nodded.

"And overprices _everything!"_ She groaned, grimacing. I laughed loudly, the sound echoing off the walls around us. We turned the corner, still snickering for no reason at all, when we suddenly came face to face with the last three people we had wanted to meet. Sam stopped short as she spotted us, then roughly pushed past us, knocking my shoulder as she went. Wayne and Edward sent us apologetic looks, before running after their huffy female friend.

"Ignore her," I told Megan, who had already gotten riled up again. My little adventure at Halloween hadn't gone unpunished by Sam. The moment I had returned, she and I had gotten into a hefty argument, which had only been resolved when Megan sent Sam running to the hospital with a bloody nose after a really hurtful comment from the latter. It had caused a big rift between my little circle of friends, with Wayne and Edward running after Sam like the cowards they were. The whole drama depressed and angered me every time I thought about it. So much for Hufflepuff loyalty.

"Do you think we'll every be friends with them again?" Megan asked me softly as we climbed through the door to our dormitories. I looked at her, my gut wrenching as I saw a pained look cross her face. Internally, I already knew that _I_ wouldn't be initiating contact with Sam anytime soon. My pride didn't allow it. However, externally, I smiled.

"Don't worry," I told Megan cheerfully, "They'll come around. You'll see, soon we'll all be best buddies again," Megan smiled at the thought, and I congratulated myself on a job well done. Stowing away my parcel underneath my bed, I quickly dusted myself off, stretching.

"We should hurry, or we'll miss the game," I reminded Megan, who twitched a little, shock registering on her face.

"Oh no!" She moaned, grabbing my hand, and dragging me towards the door. "We can't be late for _Quidditch!"_ I laughed as we hurried out the room, and hoped we really _wouldn't_ be late. After all, it would be my very first _live_ Quidditch match! Megan and I took off running the moment we had scrambled out of the barrel hole. Not for the first time I found the fact that we were so close to the Great Hall a blessing. In almost no time, the two of us were running down the path leading to the Quidditch Pitch. Even from a distance, you could hear the excited chatter of the crowd.

"It's almost like the whole _school _is out here!" Megan exclaimed, gaping at the people filling out the stands around the stadium. I sent her an incredulous look, as to which she blushed. "Right… the whole school _is_ out here," She muttered, embarrassed. I shook my head at her, grinning.

"Let's go find 'Mione, and Ron," I suggested as we climbed the stairs towards the seats. Megan nodded, still staring at the crowds. A small happy feeling was beginning to spread in my stomach. Even though the current rift in my Hufflepuff friendship circle had caused me to temporarily lose three friends, I had gained two more. As had Megan. We were both much closer to the trio than we had been before. Secretly, the fact terrified me. There were so many things that could go wrong!

"Megan! Lily!" I heard Hermione exclaim, and we both looked up to see the excited brunette waving to us a couple rows up. Megan waved back enthusiastically, and we made our way over to them, grinning.

"You're for Gryffindor, I hope," Ron said the moment we arrived next to them. Megan pretended to be hurt.

"You didn't hear my speech this morning?" She mock-gasped. Hermione giggled, while Ron rolled his eyes.

"Nice little charm-work there 'Mione," I completed the Gryffindor, pointing to the enchanted banner. Hermione blushed, grinning.

"It wasn't complicated really," she said modestly, but she sat a little straighter, obviously proud. Sitting back, I scanned the pitch, noting how it looked quite different from the movie version. That itself wasn't much of a surprise. So far, nothing had been identical to the movies, especially the people. I often got a little shock when I met a character out of the books, and I hadn't even recognized them.

"This is a perfect view," Megan explained to me, trembling with excitement. "Since we're kind of at an angle to the posts, we'll be able to see all the action with no restrictions," I nodded, propping my shin on my palms. We really did have a nice view of the pitch. But the chatter of the crowd around us was giving me a headache. Just then, a loud bell sounded over the arena, and the gates opened, with each of the Quidditch teams walking out onto the field. Around us, the people went crazy, waving flags with the colours of the house they were rooting for, and screaming out their favourite player's name.

"Do you think Gryffindor will win?" Hermione called to Megan and I over the noise. Megan shrugged, squinting down at the pitch, clapping madly.

"It depends. I heard Slytherin is real good," She shouted. I laughed.

"Gryffindor is going to win this match for sure!" I told them, "But I don't think they're getting the cup this year," They both shot me confused looks while I merely turned my attention back down to the field. The two Captains were shaking hands, glaring at each other. I scowled at the nasty grin on Flint's face. He looked like he was ready to beat Wood down on the spot. Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and the players shot up into the sky. I let out a gasp at the speed, and let out a loud cheer. Madam Hooch waved her wand, and the four balls flew up into the air, Bludgers and snitch whizzing out of view almost immediately. Angelina shot forward, snatching the Quaffle out of midair, and shot off, Alicia and Katie right behind her. The game was splendid, and very amusing. Despite knowing how it would end, I found that Quidditch was a lot different than I had imagined. There was a real tactic behind it, with the beaters weaving intricate patterns around the chasers, hitting the Bludgers from one area to the next. It was only during this game, that I realized how _biased_ I'd been towards Gryffindor. Gryffindor's team was definitely talented. They had excellent chasers, and two unstoppable beaters. Wood defended the goal posts splendidly, and of course I knew how great Harry was. However…

"SLYTHERIN SUCKS!" Megan yelled next to be, grinning. I couldn't help but frown at her. Sitting back in my chair, I crossed my arms over my chest, following the Slytherin team's movements closely. They were very in sync with each other. The Gryffindor team wasn't like that. While Gryffindor was excellent, they all seemed to be too focused on their own positions. However, Slytherin's players had this odd, nonverbal communication thing going on. They seemed like some well-oiled machine. But there was also something that didn't quite fit with my image of the Slytherins… I just couldn't figure out what it was. Just then, Gryffindor shot another goal, and cheers rose up around me. I clapped loudly, but a small part of me was feeling pity for the Slytherins, who were all looking downhearted. The game continued, and I became more and more fascinated with watching the Slytherin team interact. Who would've thought that, after all I'd heard of the Slytherins, they could seem so… normal?

"Hey, up there! Move it a little!" A gruff voice said behind us. I looked up, craning my neck a little to grin.

"Hagrid!" Hermione gasped, pleasantly surprised. Hagrid's eyes crinkled as he smiled down at us.

"I came to watch the game," he informed us. "Been watching from my hut, but…" He was patting his binoculars, giving Ron and Hermione a small report on what he'd been doing. I turned my attention back to the pitch, mentally ticking off a list I had been creating. Now we just had to get that Foul, and we were all set for Quirrel to start cursing Harry's broom.

"What that the Snitch?" I heard Lee Jordan yell through his microphone not much later, and my eyes swept over to Adrian Pucey, who had just dropped the Quaffle. Up in the air, Harry let out a little 'Aha!' before streaking down towards the Snitch. He'd started only seconds after the Slytherin Seeker had raced forward. The Slytherin Seeker seemed to have realized the Nimbus 2000 out flew his own broom by miles, and sent a quick pleading look towards his captain. I couldn't help but smile as Marcus Flint shot forward, barrelling into Harry at full speed.

"FOUL!" The Gryffindors seemed to howl as one as Harry clung onto his broom for dear life. I grinned, entertained by the interactions of the Slytherin Quidditch Players. One of the beaters had just flown up to Flint, gently whacking him upside the head with his bat. Their seeker was flying slow, large circles around Harry, in a way so that it wasn't obvious, with a fat smirk on his face. There was something severely wrong with them. Maybe they were all high or something…

"Are the Slytherins usually so… friendly with each other?" I asked, not finding a better term for it. Megan twitched a little, turning to me, her face one of surprise and confusion.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing. I sighed, having expected an answer like that. The fact that I had been expecting it didn't stop the shock over hearing her question.

"You know… the Slytherin team. They've got this crazy non-verbal thing going on… their seeker for example. He only looked at Flint, and Flint went out of his way to block Harry from getting the snitch," I explained. Megan rolled her eyes, chuckling.

"I think you didn't have enough to drink today," She giggled. "If you'd been watching correctly, you'd have noticed that Slytherin only wins by being _cheaters!"_ She yelled the last word out onto the pitch, shaking her fist at Flint. I nodded mutely, feeling only slightly upset. A dark, nagging thought whispered around in the back of my mind… '_If I'd been a Slytherin… would something like what happened with Sam even have occurred?'_ I shook the thought off, sitting up straighter. I was a Hufflepuff, and I was proud of it! I shouldn't be thinking of 'what ifs'. Deciding that I'd done enough Slytherin watching for today, I instead took to scanning the skies for Harry. If I only had binoculars! Squinting a little, I finally decided on a little dot that wasn't doing very much. Well, other than circling the pitch like some hawk. But maybe it was just a mosquito or something that looked like it was circling the pitch. I couldn't really tell. The dot dove down a little, coming into clearer sight that before, and I congratulated myself.

"Hey! Look at what's happening to Harry!" I yelled, as Harry's broom gave a frightening lurch. Thos who had heard me let out surprised gasps, following my finger to where Harry was struggling with his broom.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say his broom was cursed!" Hagrid exclaimed, looking up at Harry with a fearful expression. Neville was whimpering. Megan was biting her nails next to me, glancing side to side in search of a solution.

"You think it was Flint?" Ron asked, almost eagerly. I scowled at his tone. It was like he was trying to find reasons to be angry with Slytherin. Hagrid shook his head.

"No kid could do something like that to a Nimbus," he said gruffly. At his words, Hermione gasped, and snatched up the binoculars. I lazily watched her scan the crowds, before saying a triumphant 'Aha!'

"It's Snape! He's cursing the Broom!" Hermione whispered to us, before she dashed off, disappearing. I leaned back in my chair, smiling. There wasn't any reason to panic. Hermione would fix this. Time ticked by slowly, and Harry's broom began shaking him off more and more violently. I felt a sudden tug in the back of my mind as I watched Harry nearly fall off.

'_Run to Quirrel!'_ I heard a voice whisper in my ear. I froze, glancing around. Nobody had whispered to me. They were all too worried about Harry. _'It's wrong. It's wrong. GET QUIRREL!'_ The voice yelled, and I shot up straight. Megan glanced at me briefly, curious, before turning her attention back to Harry. I struggled through the crowd, disappearing in the direction Hermione had run. Something was wrong. I didn't dare go against what the voice was telling me. I sped up a little, the people around me blurring. I could only see a straight path in front of me, as if my entire life was focused on getting to Quirrel. Someone bumped into me, and I pushed him or her aside, sprinting forward. Adrenaline was beginning to surge in my veins, and I barely noticed the people shouting at me. Suddenly, the ground I could see lit up, like a path. I followed it, panting.

'_Hurry,'_ the voice whispered, and I obeyed, stumbling as I did. Suddenly, the lightened path vanished, and I looked to the right. I was standing on the very top of the stand, right against the wall. In front of me, I could see the teachers. Below my feet, I saw Hermione hurrying away, a small blue flame in a glass jar. A purple turban flashed in my vision, and I looked up. Like I was in a trance, I pulled out my wand from its spot pierced through my messy bun, and pointed it at Quirrel's head.

"Flipendo," I whispered. Quirrel flew forward, toppling down three rows of seats. My vision focused, and I froze, mouth agape. Not even daring to think, I threw myself sideways, running into the crowd and disappearing. My heart hammered so loudly that I could barely hear. Sinking to the floor between several standing students, I took a deep breath, thinking over what had just occurred. I was confused. What had just happened? Around me, the crowd was giving off angry shouts, and I looked up, deciding to orientate myself. I had somehow found myself sitting between the Slytherins. Apparently, Harry had just caught the snitch. I heaved a sigh of relief, collapsing into myself.

"Hey, you okay?" A high voice asked me, and I looked up, into the smiling face of a blonde first year.

"Yeah, just a little tired," I laughed sheepishly. The blonde girl grinned.

"You're a Hufflepuff, right?" She asked, noting my black and yellow scarf. I blushed, nodding.

"Yeah," I admitted. She wouldn't stop grinning. It was starting to freak me out.

"Who were you rooting for, Slytherin, or Gryffindor?" She asked. I felt it go quiet around me as the other Slytherins pretended that they weren't listening in on us. My face got even hotter. There was something threatening, but genuine in the girl's face.

"Well… I was for Gryffindor… but I thought Slytherin had excellent team work," I mumbled. The girl laughed as several people around us grinned at me.

"I'm glad you caught that!" She laughed, holding out a hand. I took it, letting her help me to my feet. "I'm Daphne Greengrass, just so you know," She informed me, shaking the hand I was holding.

"Li-Lily Moon," I stammered. Daphne looked like she was contemplating something.

"Muggleborn, right?" She asked. I nodded. Why wasn't she letting go of my hand?

"Cool," Daphne shrugged, eventually letting of my hand, and dusting off my hair and shoulders instead. "See you around Lily!" She said, dashing off as the Slytherins filed out of the stadium. I stood there for a bit, stupefied. What an eccentric girl.

"Lily! Where've you been?" I heard Megan exclaim as she ran towards me, laughing and cheering. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts.

"Ah! Sorry!" I said laughing. I put on a big smile as I followed them. Ron and Megan were discussing Gryffindor's win with big grins. I wasn't more than glad to not have to talk. I had gotten something to think about: Maybe Slytherin wasn't like their reputation claimed…

**A/N: WÄH! This Chapter took ages to write! The fact that I moved didn't really help much either… -_- I'm so sorry it took so long! This chapter isn't the best, but I wanted to introduce Lily to Daphne… she'll be an important link later on in life… Well, hope this does it for now! Hope you had a lovely weekend! Sorry for any grammar mistakes, or if I wrote something wrong. I tried my best!**

**~ClaireWalters**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter does **_**not**_** belong to me. –Looks at JK Rowling -**

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy**

**Chapter Nine: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi**

I pulled my cloak closer around myself, shivering a little against the cold. It was Christmas Eve, and I had just enjoyed a wonderful dinner with all the teachers and students who had stayed behind. Having stuffed myself up to my breaking point, I had politely excused myself to go and take a walk by the lake. Now, I was freezing, and regretting my decision from earlier.

"I _could've_ gone home and celebrated Christmas there," I muttered to myself, annoyed. "But nooo, I want to see the Mirror of Erised!" Sighing, I shook my head, ducking my head down into my scarf as a cold wind blew snow up around me. The white flakes had piled up to my knees in several places. Not to mention it was getting darker by the minute.

"Lily! Hey Lily!" I heard someone shout, and turned around to scowl at the happy redheads as they bounded of to me. Speak of the devil.

"Fred, George, why are you so happy?" I grumbled out, annoyed. The twins grinned down at me.

"You look like you've been mummified, Lily!" One of them exclaimed. I studied the speaker a little more closely, and, to my satisfaction, found that it was George.

"Well, not everyone enjoys rolling around in snow in their Pyjamas," I responded coolly, wrapping my cloak even tighter around my body. At least I was wearing ski-pants and boots, so my feet and legs weren't too cold. The sweatshirt, however, was a completely different story. Even with a long-sleeved shirt underneath, and the standard black winter cloak, I was still feeling a chilly wind around my midriff.

"That was a one time thing!" Fred waved it off, grinning at his twin.

"Oh hey Lily! We wanted to ask you – " George said, suddenly looking excited.

"Do you want to try some of Bertie-Botts-Every-Flavour-Beans?" Fred finished. I hesitated as they held a package underneath my nose, blinking a little.

"I don't know…" I said, not sure if I should give them a try. Until then, I hadn't even eaten a normal jellybean. The twins were grinning at me.

"Don't worry! Just fish one out, and hold it up for us to see." Fred said.

"Once you chewed it, we'll tell ya what it was!" George added.

"We promise!" They exclaimed together. I sighed, rolling my eyes, and finally caving. Carefully, I reached inside the box, pulling out a dark brown bean. Fred snatched the box from George's hands, and they looked at the description, poker faced.

"Go ahead," Fred urged when I didn't eat it. Wincing a little, I put the bean in my mouth, chomping on it. A slight bitter taste made it way through my tongue, but I chewed it anyway, swallowing.

"What was that?" I asked, intrigued. George was staring at me.

"Dirt," He said finally. I choked on my spit, pulling a face.

"Sure tasted like it," I muttered, shuddering. "Lets get back to the castle, I'm _freezing!"_ We walked up the hill, the deep snow making me sink in several feet every time I took a step. I was sweating by the time I reached the top, not to mention my stomach was beginning to hurt a little. Hopefully the beans weren't giving me aches. Looking over at the twins, I noticed them talking amongst themselves, looked very excited.

"Do the same thing for us!" They suddenly exclaimed, shoving the box in my hands, and pulling out two beans. Completely caught off guard, I blinked, before shrugging. I inspected them, reading the names in the back, nodding. The two of them looked at each other, nodded, and then threw the beans into their mouths. Fred gagged, while George simply continued chomping on his.

"What were they?" The twins finally asked me once they'd swallowed. I grinned.

"You had soap," I said, pointing to Fred. "And you had earthworm," George looked thoughtful, nodding.

"It didn't taste too bad," he said finally, shrugging. Fred looked mortified.

"Soap! Makes me remember Mum washing out my tongue after I swore at Percy!" he complained. I laughed at his expression as his twin cheered him up. Walking up to the main doors, we stomped the snow off our boots, before heading inside.

"Your turn again, Miss Lily," George said, snatching back the box I was holding hostage. Looking inside, I decided to try a white one with yellow spots. The twins grimaced, making me uneasy. I chewed a little on the bean, my stomach churning immediately as the taste settled it.

"Don't tell me that's rotten eggs," I choked out, fanning air into my mouth. The twins nodded, looking pitifully at me.

"Just try to swallow," George advised good-naturedly. I attempted to follow his advice, only to find that my body wasn't letting me. Nausea was starting to get the better of me.

"I can't," I gasped, staggering to the nearest bin and spitting it out, retching a little. Fred patted my back as I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying to get over the feeling of wanting to vomit.

"We'll go again, okay?" He said. I nodded, taking to box. The twins again pulled out a pair of beans, and I checked the flavours, still hovering near the bin. The pain in my stomach was getting really unsettling. The twins popped the beans into their mouths, and I watched their reactions, amused. Fred again had gotten the worse one, while George was chewing away to his heart's content.

"Blueberry!" George guessed. I nodded. Fred scowled, shuddering as he swallowed.

"Boogers?" he asked in a hushed voice. George grimaced as I nodded.

"Well, that's it for me," I said, handing them the box. Fred pouted.

"But some of these are really delicious!" He complained as the twins trailed after me. I still felt a little woozy from the first two, especially the rotten eggs one. Sighing, I shrugged, heading towards the stairs to the Hufflepuff common room.

"I'll see you two tomorrow at breakfast!" I said, trying to get as far away from the box as I could. The twins waved after me as I quickly hurried away. Down here it was even colder that it had been up in the hall. Pretty sure I was going to die of cold, I quickened my steps, tapping the barrel, I quickly slipped inside, scrambling up the tunnel, which had frozen solid, breathing a sigh of relief as I stepped into the common room. Even though only three Hufflepuffs had stayed at Hogwarts, the fireplace was lit twenty-four seven, making our little badger den cosy and warm. Tendrils of dozing plants stroked my hair as I made my way over to the girls' door. With no cold stone passages, it was warm even here. Getting to my dorm, I quickly pulled off my snowy boots and jacket, getting into my Pyjamas as fast as I could. I crawled into my bed, curling up beneath the covers. I felt lonely.

"I wonder if I'll ever get to see you again," I whispered, thinking of my family back in 2012. Swallowing back the lump that had been forming in my throat, I closed my eyes, and began dreaming of Christmas back home.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up with a lot of extra weight at my feet. Still drowsy, I glanced at the dark mass at the foot of my bed. A scream escaped my throat, and I toppled off the bed. Getting up, I realizing that it wasn't a monster, like I had initially thought, but a whole bunch of presents. My presents.

"PRESENTS!" I yelled, satisfied that no one would hear me, since I was the only female Hufflepuff still at Hogwarts. Doing a little happy dance, I threw myself on my bed, which made the presents jump a little. Swishing my wand at the copper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, since the snow covering the windows was making everything extremely dark, I reached forward to open my first one.

"_To my little Lily, I hope you are having a splendid Christmas. Love, Mummy,"_ I read from the card, smiling. The Harry Potter mother was a very sweet person. I tried to carefully open the gift, but gave up after the first stray rip. Immediately, I simply tore off the rest of the wrapping paper. An alarm clock fell out into my lap.

"That would make an interesting Horcrux," I mused out loud, thinking about how that would work out. The mental image of Harry stabbing an alarm clock with a sword popped into my head, and I laughed. Quickly setting the alarm clock aside, I got to work on the rest of my presents, unwrapping them with a childish glee, letting the paper fly around the room. From my Harry Potter father I had gotten a new journal, and from my brother a small ornate box. Hermione had given me a set of pocket quills, which where only the size of my palm, while Megan had given me a friendship bracelet, along with some chocolate frogs. Harry had sent me several different types of sweets, along with a hat in all the house colours. Ron had sent me a small, pocketbook edition of 'simple spells for everyday use'. To my surprise, I also found I had received gifts from Daphne, Megan's older sister Gwen, and from Edward and Wayne. Daphne had sent me a small silver charm bracelet, which already had a Hufflepuff, and Slytherin charm hanging off it, while Megan had sent me a simple hand mirror. Wayne and Edward had sent me a combined gift, a set of wizard chess players. I sat back, smiling at my gifts.

"Well, time to go to breakfast!" I said, jumping up from my bed, and grabbing my clothes along the way. In no time, I was upstairs, smiling happily at the beautifully decorated great hall. It was just as magical as it had been last evening.

"Morning Lily!" Harry and Ron said, looking up. I grinned, hurry up my steps to sit by them.

"Get anything good for Christmas?" I asked, sliding down into the bench across from them. '_Other than that invisibility cloak I'm so jealous of,'_ I mentally added. Harry seemed to hesitate, probably wondering if he should tell me or not. Finally, he let out a sigh.

"I got a flute from Hagrid, sweets, a quill, a book, a sweater, my dad's invisibility cloak…" He trailed off, casually mentioning the cloak. I nodded, turning to Ron, who immediately went into a rant about what he'd gotten for Christmas, and about how his sweater was always maroon. Realizing something, I looked around at the Weasleys sitting next and across from me.

"Hey Percy, how was your Christmas?" I asked. The prefect, who had been muttering silently, looked up, surprised that someone was actually trying to get him into a conversation.

"It was really good, but… isn't it still Christmas?" he asked, looking sceptically at me. I blushed a little.

"Well, I guess, since it's Christmas day, but in my family, we celebrate Christmas on the twenty-fourth," I admitted. Percy shrugged it off.

"So Lily, tell me. How has your first year at Hogwarts been like?" the eldest of the present Weasleys asked me. I thought about that for a bit, not really knowing how to describe it.

"Well, its everything I expected it would be, but also so much better. I have to admit, I used to always dream of being a Gryffindor, but ever since I was sorted, I have simply fallen in love with my house. No matter how much my sister argues that yellow and black make you look like a bumblebee, I still think it's the best house," I said, scanning the table for something to eat. Sighing a little, I poured myself some oatmeal to eat.

"I thought you were a muggleborn," Ron said, surprised. "And didn't you say you had an older brother?" I froze in the middle of pouring the milk in my bowl, the glass container tipping and spilling milk everywhere.

"What? Oh yeah! I…" Looking around for a possible excuse, I merely spotted Snape, who was looking very amused in a sadistic kind of way. "I had a childhood friend who told me all about Hogwarts, once he figured out I was a witch!" I exclaimed, inspired. Snape's smirk turned into a deep scowl. I turned back to the boys I was sitting with and tried to grin convincingly. "And did I say sister? Whoops! My friend had a big sister, they were half bloods you see, and she was almost like a big sister to me," Percy didn't look quite convinced.

"Isn't that a bit far fetched?" he asked. "I mean, the chances of that happening, and then your friend not getting in trouble… The statute of Secrecy…" I waved it off, snorting.

"Like he would care," I said, shaking my head. "That's why I know so much about the Wizarding world. My friend goes to Durmstrang though, so I can't see him. His sister is at Beauxbaton, ever since she moved to France with her mother," I said quickly, before they asked me in what house they were. Harry looked really interested.

"What are their names?" Harry asked, curious. I blanked, and spewed out the first two names that popped into my mind.

"Jane and Cedric," I quietly sighed in relief when they didn't ask any more questions. Situation effectively avoided. As I began eating, I mentally went over whether I should go tonight or not.

'_You shouldn't! You'll get in trouble if you're caught! You don't even know where it is!'_ The logical part of me said. Sam's angry expression swam into my mind, and I slouched forward a little, guilty for my next counter arguing thought.

'_I want to know what my deepest desire is,'_

If Sam knew, she'd kill me.

* * *

In the end, I had made a compromise. I wouldn't be troubling anyone if I went during the day! Which was why I was currently running from an enraged Ravenclaw girl, who had also stayed behind. Apparently, she and her boyfriend didn't want to be disturbed.

"You! Get back here!" She shrieked, running after me. I let out a yelp, speeding up a bit. How was I supposed to know that they'd be making out in an abandoned classroom? It wasn't my fault that he had thought I was his _other_ girlfriend. Honestly, I didn't even know I looked that much like a fifth year. Well, long story short, I was now being accused of breaking up a relationship, and thus was being chased down for it.

"You people need to sort out your priorities!" I yelled over my shoulder, taking a corner and dashing up the stairs. The fifth-year let out an outraged cry, shooting a jet of water at me. Damn, this girl was insane! Wasting no time, I quickly ducked behind a statue, watching in disbelief as the girl kept running on, still shouting that she was going to kill me.

"Well, that went well," I muttered, looking around. I was on the third floor. "Maybe she'll run into Fluffy," I muttered, amused at the irony. Up ahead, I heard Professor McGonagall let out a startled yell as the girl ran into her. Wincing, I quickly turned around, walking up the nearest staircase. Maybe I should start here instead. Panting a little, and nursing a stitch I had gotten, I took what seemed to be an endless walk up the fourth floor. Thinking about my previous situation, I wondered what my friends would have thought about it. They probably would have laughed it off.

'_I'll bet that's the closest you'll ever get to a relationship, Mudblood!'_ A familiar, nasty voice sneered in my head, and I scowled. Of all people I had to think of, my brain had to choose Malfoy. An evil grin spread over my face as I thought of what my friends would do once they found out his little nickname for me.

"Maybe I should tell them!" I cackled, tapping the tips of my fingers together. A portrait nearby looked up at me, slightly alarmed. Quickly, I straightened my back, and put up a poker face, speeding up my steps a little. Speaking of Malfoy… I snickered, remembering the last time I had seen him…

"_See you later, Lily!" Megan called over her shoulder as she got on the train._

"_I'll write to you all when I get home!" Hermione added, as they waved at Harry, Ron and I, who were standing on the platform to see them off. I laughed, nodding._

_Some snow hit my shoulder, and I turned around, to see Harry scraping up some more snow in his gloves. Behind me, Megan and Hermione let out two laughs as I scowled, reaching for some snow as well. The two boys, however, had no mercy, and pelted me with snow before I could react. Inside the train, a few people were laughing at the spectacle they were creating._

"_Have a nice Christmas!" I yelled as the train let out a piercing whistle, and started taking off. Steam billowed around our feet, blowing up into our faces, making us cough. A window towards the rear of the train opened as that section approached and Malfoy stuck out his pointy nose, sneering at us._

"_At least we're _wanted_ back ho__me!"_ _He called, making one last jab at Harry, whose face fell into a glare. Not even hesitating, I lobbed the snowball straight at Malfoy, punching a fist into the air as it smacked right into the side of his hair._

"_Merry Christmas, Malfoy!" I yelled after him, sticking out my tongue. The only response I got was the slamming of a window, and then the train sped up, and away._

"Maybe I should plan an ambush with the twins for when he returns…" I mused. "Snowballs with rocks in them…" I opened a door to my right, peeking inside the classroom. There wasn't a mirror in here either. Sighing, I continued on, scanning all the rooms down the hallway. One of them absolutely refused to open.

"Oh hell… just open!" I grunted, throwing my full weight against the door. I heard a loud crack, and my eyes widened a fraction. Next thing I knew, I was tumbling forward on the ground, the door on the floor with me. Groaning, I got to my feet, staggering a little. A gasp escaped my throat as I spotted the object I had been searching for.

"I show not your face, but your heart's desire," I whispered, automatically reading the inscription above the mirror backwards. I smiled, stepping closer, taking a deep breath. What I saw wasn't quite what I expected. Instead of looking at what could only be described as a Mary-sue, I was staring at myself. My mirror self grinned, doing a little twirl in my favorite summer dress. Belatedly, I realized I wasn't looking at the reflection of Lily Moon, but at _me,_ the fifteen-year-old freshmen in High School. I was even carrying my laptop.

"Well, this is interesting," I mused, looking almost longingly at my reflection. I knew why I was seeing this, but it didn't stop me from wanting it to be real. Something moved behind my reflection, and I looked over, a grin forming on my face. My friends and family from 2012 were all grinning at me. With a bit of a blush, I realized that a few selective classmates were among the group as well. For a moment, I didn't want to stop staring. I wanted to stand here forever, looking at all the people I missed.

"It doesn't do to dwell of dreams," I reminded myself, and shot one last, longing glance at a few people in the ground behind me, before turning away. I had found out what I had wanted to know. Forcing every single step out of the room, I realized how difficult it really was to look away.

"If the mirror affects me this much, it's probably best that I don't come back," I whispered to myself, frowning.

"Indeed, that is a wise choice," A voice said behind me, and I turned around, a small scream escaping me. Dumbledore waved his wand, which I realized was probably the elder wand, and repaired the door I had broken through. "My question is, how did you know the mirror even existed, and how it works?" he turned to me, and I nervously laughed.

"It's a long story," I said, biting my bottom lip. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, and I sighed, caving. "And one that is kind of supposed to be a secret, but I suppose it doesn't really matter much anymore,"

"Perhaps you would feel more comfortable is we went to my office. So far, no one has been able to eavesdrop there," Dumbledore suggested. I nodded, and sullenly followed the headmaster away from the room.

**A/N: I cut it off there. I suppose you can guess what happens next… Lily tells Dumbledore the whole deal, blah, blah, blah. I just didn't want to write the conversation. It was boring even in my head. Well, I hope you enjoyed the update. Once again, I apologize for any misspellings, or other errors I might have made. Till next time!**

**~ClaireWalters**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter, and all trademark things related to it, does not belong to me. They belong to JK Rowling , and Warner Bros. etc.…**

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in like… 24,000 years. School started up again, and I was up to my ears with life. As per request, I actually did this part, with Dumbledore and Lily talking. Think of it more of a transition chapter. Its really short and absolute crap, but I wrote it over a span of three months… Enjoy it as much as you can…**

**Chapter Ten: Time Paradoxes and Stuff**

We walked in silence through the cold hallways of Hogwarts. My spine tingled with uneasiness, and I took to playing with the hem of my sweater. Looking around, I noticed eyes staring up at me from every portrait, some curious, and some giving me reproachful glares. Quickly, I snapped my eyes down to the ground, watching the tip of my shoes bob up and down. What exactly was I going to tell Dumbledore? Oh hey, I kind of fell in through a book, and I kind of know your secrets. I also know that Voldemort is alive, and how we can stop him, so lets get to work! Like _that _would go well... Letting out a sigh, I momentarily closed my eyes, tilting my head back onto my neck, relieving the uncomfortable crick that had been forming there. Apparently, I'd been distracted for a little too long, as I suddenly found myself colliding with something very solid.

"Careful there, Miss Moon," Dumbledore said, using his odd twinkly eyes to twinkle down at me. I turned red, mumbling an apology, and quickly backed away. Dumbledore smiled, turning over to the stone gargoyle.

"Bertie Botts," He said, and stepped on the stairs. Hopping onto a stair behind Dumbledore, I watched in fascination as it burst into motion, speeding up, as it got higher. Warm air washed around me as the stairs came to a halt, and Dumbledore opened the door to his office. The room was creepy, in my opinion. Portraits of all the headmasters lined the walls, making them crowded and dizzying. It was hard trying to concentrate on one picture, when the ones surrounding it were shifting. Once again, it seemed that all eyes were on me. Probably because they were curious why I'd been brought to the headmaster's office… now that I thought about it… this was my first time being in this kind of situation.

"Why don't you have a seat?" Professor Dumbledore said, motioning to one of the chairs across from him. I sat down, feeling a little nervous. Scanning the room, I found myself fascinated with the silver instruments that where on the shelves, situated between old, and heavy looking books. There was a gentle croon from the corner of the office, and my eyes snapped over, already knowing what I'd be expecting. Fawkes… he was asleep, but still… a phoenix! A _real_ phoenix!

"This is even cooler than I thought!" I thought aloud, unable to keep the excitement out of my voice. My little fangirl heart was about ready to explode.

"Have you finished looking around?" Dumbledore asked, bursting the little bubble I'd built around myself. My face turned hot, and I nodded curtly, sitting up a little straighter. Dumbledore looked more amused than angry at my inattentiveness. "So, would you please tell me how you knew of the mirror's existence?" He asked. I paused, thinking it through.

"I read about it… in a book…" I said, deciding to tell the truth. Dumbledore looked at me with his twinkly x-ray eyes, but didn't say anything further. "Uh… I… the book… The book said that… the mirror was at Hogwarts… and it told me what the mirror could do… so I wanted to go and see for myself… what my heart's desire is…" I explained slowly. He nodded, seeming to understand.

"That is something that any human would want to do. Thus, it is understandable. However, the thing that I am the most curious about is this book that you just mentioned," He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. I shifted around a little nervously.

"Well…" I said, drying my hands off on my trousers. "I don't know whether I _can_ tell you…" Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, and I swallowed. Deciding that life was too short to waste time, I straightened up. "Okay, so… I guess I can, but I don't know if I should, because if I do, I'd probably end up doing something weird, and then I can't predict the timeline anymore, because the book I was talking about lets me know what is going to happen in the future of this timeline, and if I mess it up, I might destroy something in the timeline which could lead to something else, and then everything could go wrong, or quite possibly I would create another timeline…" I put my hands down from gesturing wildly, placing them in my lap and taking a deep breath. Dumbledore was smiling.

"So the book is about the future, and possibly telling me future events could make these events nonexistent," He said. I nodded. Dumbledore leaned back, thinking a bit.

"Have you ever thought, that possibly the events from the original timeline are already being changed. However, these changes are what are causing the future events to occur. If these changes hadn't been made, then the future could quite possibly have been completely different," He suggested. I blinked, confused.

"You mean, a time paradox?" I asked. Dumbledore nodded. I paused, and then shrugged. "I suppose…" I mused, thinking. Professor Dumbledore smiled at me.

"So, perhaps you telling me what is really going on is only part of the future that is supposed to happen," He added. I sighed.

"Perhaps…" I admitted slightly. It did make sense… if only a little. "In other words, you just want me to tell you," I said bluntly, realizing I sounded quite rude. Without waiting for a response, I began talking, not even realizing how much I'd been wanting to tell someone until the words had already left my mouth. Dumbledore's expression was priceless. Apparently, the truth wasn't exactly what he had been suspecting. Then, a small, wry smile made its way across his features.

"I can understand you dilemma now, Miss Moon," He said, sitting up straight. "It seems that Professor Snape was correct when he told me there was something odd about you. He's been wary of you for a while, though I doubt he was fully aware of what was really going on. I personally believe he thought you were a deatheater spy," The thought was amusing. For some odd reason I pictured myself sneaking around the halls, snapping pictures of Harry behind his back.

"If it will make my life easier, you can tell him as much as you seem is necessary, sir," I said, trying my best to be polite. I felt as if a weight had been taken off my chest. Dumbledore smiled.

"We'll see. I will, of course, inform you if I do tell him anything. For now, I think that you have been doing the correct thing. I see no reason to change the timeline of events as of yet. Just continue doing what you have been doing up until now," Professor Dumbledore told me, sighing. I straightened up; catching on that our little discussion had come to a close. Standing up, I politely dipped my head.

"Thank you for listening to me," I said, feeling uncomfortable once again. Dumbledore smiled.

"Thank _you_ for informing me," He said simply. I blinked, confused about what he was talking about. I turned around, walking towards the door, still feeling a little overwhelmed. "Oh, and Miss Moon… don't be too harsh of the Malfoy boy. He _is_ four years younger than you," A giggle rose up in my chest, and I snorted in my hand. Waving goodbye, I hurried out of the room, skipping down two steps at a time. I wasn't quite sure why, but for some odd reason, the mention of Draco had made my day just a tiny bit brighter. Or maybe it was just the mental image of me hitting him over the head with a cauldron that was amusing me… I worried about my own sanity sometimes…

**A/N: To those of you who haven't realized yet, this chapter didn't have as much effort put into it as the others. Sorry about that… a friend of mine has been bugging me for ages to update (If you don't believe me, check out the last three reviews for Chapter Nine). I hope you're satisfied Morenza… -_- on a brighter note, I finished my last exam today! Yayyy! I'm really tired, so sorry if this chapter is full of grammar/spelling errors... I couldn't be bothered to check, to be honest... and if the whole time paradox thing is wrong, sorry... anyways Happy Holidays!**

**~ClaireWalters**


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